Gundam SEED Destiny: A Retelling
by Akatsuki Leader13
Summary: Destiny AU. C.E. 73. Two years have passed since the Bloody Valentine War. But the peace that so many had fought and died for, is coming to an end. War is coming again.
1. Mobile Suit Page

Alright. Here's the first mobile suit page. Also, all returning non-nuclear mobile suits have been upgraded with more current technology.

* * *

"_Start another war? Of course we are! We exist only to fight in wars and kill people like you Coordinator! Like all soldiers do! If you're too weak to understand that than you don't belong in that machine!"_ Treize Zabiarov

Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-X44S 'Specter'  
Unit Type: Prototype high mobility mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Variable Phase Shift Armor, Deuterion Beam Energy Supply System, Lightwave Pulse Thrusters, Twin Prototype Vernier Boosters  
Armaments: 4x MMI-GAU1717 12.5 mm CIWS, mounted on the head, 2x 'Cerebus' beam revolver with bayonet, stored on hip holders, 1x MMI-558 'Tempest' beam sword, stored on the inside of the shield, 1x MGX-2230 long range multi-phase beam cannon, mounted on right shoulder, 1x shield, mounted on the left arm  
Pilot: EX-C1304 Treize Zabiarov, Suiren Kyusai  
Color: Treize's colors: Black torso, head, shins, forearms. Gray faceplate, biceps, thighs. Red trim and head crest. Default/Suiren's colors: Silver with black trimming, joints, and hands.  
Info: The fourth stolen mobile suit from Armory One. Designed as a next generation high mobility mobile suit, it was equipped with the prototype Vernier Boosters. While the massive boosters enable it to achieve speeds unrivaled by normal mobile suits, the boosters can drain the battery if the high speeds are sustained for too long. Also, most pilots cannot handle it's maximum speed. To date, only two pilots have been able to successfully control it at it's maximum speeds. It's original pilot and the Extended pilot that stole it from Armory One.

* * *

"_I won't let you bring down Junius Seven! Such a tragedy must never be unleashed on the world again!" _Flay Alster

Mobile Suit Serial Number: MBF-X135  
Unit Type: general purpose mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Trans Phase Armor, Raven Striker Mk II backpack/subflight lifter, can be separated from main body and used as a subflight system.  
Armament: 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS, mounted in head, 1x 57 mm high-energy beam rifle, 2x beam sabers, stored in hips, 1x shield, mounted on left arm  
Raven Striker Armaments: 2x 52mm hyper velocity cannon, 2x M2M3 76mm machinegun, mounted on the underside of the wings  
Pilot: Flay Allster  
Appearance: It's body resembles the Strike with a backpack similar to the Raven's flightpack, save larger. And the railguns, when the pack is raised, sit next to the head like the beam guns on the Fatum-00. It's head is the scared head of the Raven.  
Color: Identical color scheme to the Raven. Primarily midnight blue with red trim. White thighs, biceps, and face.  
Info: The Strike Raven was designed by Johanna Dante, at the request of Flay Alster, in tribute to Chris Dante, who died when the Raven was destroyed during the Second Battle of Jachin Due. The largest piece of the Raven recovered by the Clyne Faction was it's head, which was restored and mounted on the Strike Raven. Again, at Flay's personal request. While it's body is designed after the Strike, it lacks the hardpoints for Striker packs, instead it's equipped with the Raven Striker Mk II backpack. A subflight unit based off the Raven's wings and the Justice's Fatum-00. When not activated, the wings are folded and the pack rests against it's back. When in use, the wings extend and the pack rises up like the Fatum.

* * *

"_I wanna hear the beautiful music...of dying Coordinators!"_ Mariemaia 'Maia' Zabiarov

Mobile Suit Serial Number: GAT-X105E+AQM/E-X09S 'Strike Noir'  
Unit Type: prototype all-purpose multi-mode mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Variable Phase Shift armor; enhanced power unit; hardpoints for mounting Striker packs  
Armaments: 2x M2M5 "Todesschrecken" 12.5mm automatic CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 4x EQS1358 rocket anchor, mounted in hands and feet; 2x M8F-SB1 "Shorty" beam rifle, mounted on hips, hand-carried in use; 2x MR-Q10 "Fragarach" 3 beam blade, mounted on Noir, hand-carried in use; EQS1358T rocket anchor, mounted on Noir Striker; 2 x MAU-M3E42 linked linear gun, mounted on Noir Striker, 2x 57mm high-energy beam rifle with 175mm grenade launcher  
Pilot: EX-C1004 Mariemaia Zabiarov  
Color: Default colors  
Info: The successor of the famed X105 Strike of the Blood Valentine War. This particular unit has been assigned to EX-C1004 Mariemaia Zabiarov. The youngest of the surviving Third Generation Extended and little 'sister' of Treize Zabiarov.

* * *

"_Shame we can't stay to crush the Patchworkers' feeble hourglasses as well."_ Rezin Bidan

Mobile Suit Serial Number: GAT-X103AP 'Verde Buster'  
Unit Type: Prototype artillery mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Variable Phase Shift armor  
Armaments: 94mm high-energy beam cannon, mounted on backpack over left shoulder; 350mm gun launcher, mounted on backpack over right shoulder; 2 x 6-tube 220mm multipurpose missile launcher, mounted on shoulders; 2 x M9009B composite bayonette-equipped beam rifle, can be combined into one rifle, hand-carried in use  
Pilot: EX-C0607 Rezin Bidan  
Color: Default colors  
Info: The successor of the X103 Buster of the Blood Valentine War. This particular unit has been assigned to EX-C0607 Rezin Bidan.

* * *

"_How typical of the Coordinators to rely upon their technology and distance from Earth to protect them. How fitting that we should kill them where they feel safest."_ Reccoa Schnyder

Mobile Suit Serial Number: GAT-X1022 'Blu Duel'  
Unit Type: Prototype close combat mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Variable Phase Shift armor  
Armaments: 2x M2M5 "Todesschrecken" 12.5mm automatic CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 3x Mk315 "Stiletto" rocket-propelled anti-armor penetrator, stored in shoulders, hand-carried in use; 2x M7G2 retractable beam gun, mounted on forearms, hand-carried in use; 2x ES05A beam saber, mounted on legs, hand-carried in use; shield, mounts M443 "Scorpion" mobile railgun, mounted on right arm  
Pilot: EX-C0801 Reccoa Schnyder  
Color: Default colors  
Info: The successor of the X102 Duel of the Blood Valentine War. This particular unit has been assigned to EX-C0801 Reccoa Schnyder.

* * *

"_Oops. I broke this one. Ha ha ha ha! Someone bring me another one!"_ Gyunei Ridden

Mobile Suit Serial Number: GAT-X303AA 'Rosso Aegis'  
Unit Type: Prototype transformable mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Variable Phase Shift armor  
Armaments: 2x M2M5 "Todesschrecken" 12.5mm automatic CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 4x beam saber, 1 mounted on each arm and leg; 1x shield; 1x 60mm beam rifle; 1x 'Scylla II' 580mm energy cannon  
Pilot: EX-C0311 Gyunei Ridden  
Color: Default colors  
Info: The successor of the X303 Aegis of the Blood Valentine War. This particular unit has been assigned to EX-C0311 Gyunei Ridden. On a side note, a particualr improvement from it's predecessor, the Rosso Aegis is capable of firing it's Scylla II cannon in both modes and the beam possess the same beam bending technology as the GAT-X252 Forbidden.

* * *

Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-X1000HMX ZAKU Warrior High Maneuver Type/ZGMF-X1001HMX ZAKU Phantom High Maneuver Type  
Unit Type: Customized general purpose/commander type mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack  
Armaments: Varies between pilot  
Pilot: The pilots of ZAFT's 11th Fleet  
Color: Varies between pilot  
Info: Unlike previous mobile suits of the 11th Fleet, this limited production ZAKU variant was created specifically for the 11th Fleet and a handful of veteran aces from the Bloody Valentine. Though, as is their custom, the 11th Fleet has extensively modified and customized their ZAKUs, raising their performance level above the norm. The main feature that sets the HM Type apart from the normal ZAKU, is it's inability to mount Wizard Packs and it's flightpack. Granting the HM Type a greater acceleration rate and top speed, and atmospheric flight.

* * *

_"__Hmph... A new Duel model. Well, get ready punk. Cause I'm the original Duel pilot and there's no way I'm going to lose to you!"_ Yzak Joule  
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-1001HMX/DC ZAKU Duel  
Unit Type: Customized commander type mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack  
Armaments: 2x beam saber, stored on hip armor, 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle, 1x MA-MR Falx G7 beam axe, stored on inside of left shield, hand-carried in use, 2x shoulder shield, connected to arms  
Pilot: Yzak Joule  
Color: Dark blue torso. Light blue arms, legs, head and shields.  
Info: Yzak Joule's personal ZAKU Phantom High Maneuver Type. Named after the mobile suit he used during the Bloody Valentine War. This unit has been customized for close quarters combat, sacrificing much of it's ranged weaponry for close combat weapons. Including two of it's battery clips for it's beam rifle, limiting the rifle's operating time. However, in the hands of an ace like Yzak, it is an extremely lethal machine to anyone that gets too close.

* * *

"_What the... The Buster?! You got to be kidding me!"_ Dearka Elsman  
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-X1000HMX/BC ZAKU Buster  
Unit Type: Customized general purpose mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack  
Armaments: 1x 350mm gun launcher, mounted behind right arm, can be combined with 94mm high-energy rifle, hand-carried in use, 1x 94mm high-energy rifle, mounted behind left arm, can be combined with 350mm gun launcher, hand-carried in use, 1x MA-M8 beam tomahawk, stored inside shield, hand-carried in use, 4x hand grenade (ZR30F fragmentation grenade, ZR20E high explosive grenade, ZR271 thermite incendiary grenade, ZR11Q flash grenade, ZR13Q smoke grenade), stored on hip armor, 1x shoulder shield, connected to arms  
Pilot: Dearka Elsman  
Color: Dark green body and shield. Tan arms, legs and head, with orange trim.  
Info: Dearka Elsman's personal ZAKU Warrior High Maneuver Type. Like Yzak, who sought instill the spirit of previous machine, Dearka named his ZAKU after the Buster Gundam. But he took it one step further, painting it in the Buster's colors and equipping it with the Buster's signature gun launcher and high-energy rifle.

* * *

"_Damn. These guys are persistent. But why are they attacking us?"_ Shiho Hahnenfuss  
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-X1000HMX/DA ZAKU DEEP Arms  
Unit Type: Customized general purpose mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack  
Armaments: 2x JDP9-MSY0300 directed thermal energy cannon, mounted on shoulders; NOL-Y941 heavy laser sword, stored on left hip, hand-carried in use, 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle  
Pilot: Shiho Hahnenfuss  
Color: Entirely dark blue.  
Info: Shiho Hahnenfuss's personal ZAKU Warrior High Maneuver Type. Following the trend of many veterans from the last war, Shiho has modeled her ZAKU off of her CGUE DEEP Arms. Removing the ZAKU's grenades and shield for the latest version of the thermal energy cannons that were mounted on the CGUE DEEP Arms and the original sword of her previous unit. Interestingly, she has fitted the underside of her cannons to hold additional battery clips for her rifle.

* * *

Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-X1001/K Slash ZAKU Phantom  
Unit Type: Commander type mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Armaments: 2x MA-M8 beam tomahawk, stored in shields, hand-carried in use, 4x hand grenade (ZR30F fragmentation grenade, ZR20E high explosive grenade, ZR271 thermite incendiary grenade, ZR11Q flash grenade, ZR13Q smoke grenade), stored on hip armor, 2x MMI-M826 "Hydra" Gatling beam cannon, mounted on backpack, 1x MA-MR Falx G7 beam axe, stored on backpack, hand-carried in use; 2x shoulder shield, connected to arms, 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle  
Pilot: ???  
Color: Blood red head, arms, legs and shields. Dark red torso. Black birds on the front of the torso and on the shields.


	2. Phase One: Angry Eyes

Yo everybody! I'm back. Before I begin, a few things first. Alexander won. So that is the name of Flay's son. He was born January 4 C.E. 72 and he's almost two years old. Also, Shawn and Dale are actually Destiny characters. I just gave them last names.

And if you're just finding this story. Go back and read my SEED rewrite first. Otherwise, you probably understand some of the stuff that's going on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED Destiny, or the OCs Gekido, Tristan, Rezin, Reccoa, Gyunei all belong to their respective owners. (I would list the people's names. But some of them have changed their names a couple of times and I'm no longer sure who's who.)

Now that all this is out of the way, strap in and enjoy the ride. If you thought Chris's death was shocking, there's more surprises to come in my Destiny. But not for awhile unfortunately. So we all must wait.

* * *

_Cosmic Era 72. One and half years of grim war between Earth and PLANTs ended following the space battle at Jachin Due. The two sides forged a peace treaty amid the ruins of Junius Seven. A place of unprecedented tragedy during the war. The former enemies pledged themselves to work for mutual understanding and to make every effort possible to maintain peace. As a result, the world once more on the path of stability._

**Phase One: Angry Eyes**

_A family of four ran through the woods, trying to reach the boats that were evacuating the civilians of Orb. Shinn Asuka looked up at the mobile suits fighting above them. The white one and dark blue one were shrugging against the other four. Shinn really wasn't sure which ones were fighting for Orb and which ones were with the Earth Forces._

_Suddenly, the dark blue one and the black one, both of which had transformed into a bird-like mode, raced dangerously close overhead. Forcing Shinn and his family to brace themselves as a strong gust of wind slammed into them._

"_My phone!" Mayu cried out as her phone flew out of her pocket and fell down the side of the hit._

_Mayu headed for her cell phone, but their mother grabbed her arm. "Forget about it. We have to go Mayu."_

"_But my phone!"_

"_Don't worry. I'll get it." Shinn said, running down the side of the hill._

_The Calamity landed on the ground, targeting the Freedom. The Freedom entered HiMAT mode as it aimed at the Calamity. The Freedom and the Calamity both fired at the other. While both pilots missed their targets, they had inadvertently hit something else._

_Shinn had found Mayu's phone and picked it up when he felt the massive wave of heat and air slam into him, tossing him down the rest of the hill. By some small miracle, the only injuries he had sustain were some scraps and bruises, and having the wind knocked out of him. He slowly got to his feet, still clutching Mayu's cell phone. "Mom! Dad! Where are you?! Mayu!" Shinn called out, as started to search for his family. "Mom! Dad! Ma-"_

_It didn't take him long to find them. The path they had been running across, had collapsed. And lying there, among the rubble, was Mayu. She was lying on her back, maybe eight feet from him. Mayu looked like she could have been sleeping. If it wasn't for the fact that were a number of cuts and bruises on her skin. Including a nasty cut on her forehead. Lying a few feet from Mayu, was his mother. Lying in a pool of her own blood and her body twisted in an unnatural angle. Then he noticed his father, crushed between a boulder and a fallen tree._

_Shinn screamed to the heavens as he fell to his knees. His cry a mixture of pain and sorrow. Tears began to pour down his face. Why had they been killed? They weren't soldiers. They didn't deserve to be murdered like that! So then why? Why had this happened?_

_Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him. "Come on! There's nothing you can do for them." a voice said as the hands lifted Shinn to his feet._

_The voice belonged to an Orb officer. But Shinn didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. He just wanted to lay down and die alongside his family. Seeing the state he was in, the Orb officer shook him, trying to shake him out of his stupor. "Your family would have wanted you to survive. Come on. The boat will be leaving soon." he said, half dragging Shinn to the boat._

Shinn shot up from his bed, breathing heavily. The nightmare had returned again. He hated it. He hated reliving that moment. The moment that his family had been taken from him. Because of the stupid, stubborn Orb government and the Athhas for not surrendering to the Earth Forces. Because of the Earth Alliance for attacking his former home.

"Shinn... Shinn, what's wrong?" Shinn's roommate, Rey asked as he yawned.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

Rey didn't say anything and returned to sleep. Shinn reached out to his dresser, slowly opening a drawers. He reached in and pulled out Mayu's pink cellphone. He held it closely. He would have played Mayu's call back message, but he didn't want to wake Rey. So he just laid there, holding the phone until he fell asleep.

* * *

Armory One Spaceport

October 2, C.E. 73

Cagalli Yula Athha, Athrun Zala and Flay Allster moved through the corridor from their shuttle, heading into the spaceport terminal. "Are you sure that outfit is appropriate?" Athrun asked. "Tell me you at least brought a dress."

"Why does it matter what I'm wearing?" Cagalli replied, clad in the standard attire of an Orb Government official. "Isn't this fine?"

"For a situation like this, a little bit of acting never hurts." he replied. "You know this. Don't try to be someone you're not. You don't want them to think you're an amateur. Though is an unofficial visit, never forget that you are now a ruler of Orb."

"Lighten up a little." Flay said. "We're just here asking some questions about the Orb refugees from the war and our technology they're using."

Flay paused for a moment. She felt something unusual. A presence. She glanced out the corridor window at the spaceport terminal below. Her eyes were drawn to a group of four. A ditzy-looking blond haired girl, a younger boy with blue hair, and an older green haired male, briefly drew her attention. But it was the fourth that she herself drawn to. He wore a black trenchcoat with a high collar, obscuring the lower half of his face. A pair of sunglasses further masked his face. Making it impossible for her to determine what he looked like or how old he was. He had white hair of about medium length. But it was wild. Like he cared nothing for his appearance. Something about him unsettled her. He had an aura of violence and something else she could barely pick up. But she couldn't identify it.

The white haired person suddenly glanced around, looking for someone. Had he sensed her? Flay wasn't sure and after a moment, he stopped searching. Having not spotted her.

Flay's hand reached up around her neck, grabbing a locket that rested next to a set of dog tags. It was simple silver locket. Inside it was a picture of her son Alexander, taken shortly after his birth. And a picture of Alexander's father, Chris Dante. Who died during the final battle of the war.

After Alexander had been born, something had changed in Flay. More than just the emergence of her maternal instincts. It was an awareness that she had never had before. The same as Kira's. Though nowhere as strong as his.

And Flay had taken the job of one of Cagalli's assistants after Alex had been born. She didn't need the money she was paid. Her family had been wealthy enough that she could have lived out her life comfortably. But the spoiled girl she had been, died along time ago. Now all she cared about was protecting her son. As a result, she learned to fight, to shoot and to pilot a mobile suit.

"Are you alright Flay?" Athrun asked, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just lost in thought for a moment there."

They soon reached one of the large lifts that would take them into the heart of the colony. There waiting for them was Ian Kessel, the National Defense Committee Chairman of ZAFT. "Hello. It's been awhile." he greeted.

"Hello National Defense Committee Chairman Kessel." Cagalli replied.

"Please Cagalli, just Ian. How have you all been?"

"Fine." Athrun answered. "How are Saul and the others?"

"Saul's been working as a programmer at one of the PLANTs' largest technology firms, IDB. As for Nicol, he's still performing his concerts and has been something of a celebrity. Though nowhere near as big as Lacus. Yzak's now one of the Commanders of the 11th Fleet. And of course, Dearka's still his right hand man." Ian said, turning to the window of the elevator. "But that's not why you're here, is it?"

Athrun shook his head. "No."

"You're here about the Orb refugees from the war and the tech we've gained from Orb." Ian sighed. "Personally, I don't like this whole affair. It's complicated and there's no clear cut right and wrong here. On the one hand, we're basically stealing Orb tech. But on the other, they're Orb citizens that have chosen to live in the PLANTs and need to earn a living with the skills they have. It's a mess. Worse, the Chairman has handled it poorly." Ian turned to Cagalli. "But maybe you and the Chairman can come to an agreement about this."

"What's your impression of Chairman Durandal?" Cagalli asked.

"He's complicated. But he's a good man. Brilliant, driven and passionate." Ian said. "However, the man has a silver tongue. So be careful when dealing with him."

* * *

A ZAFT Hanger

Crews were rushing to finish the remaining Second Stage Gundams. While the Impulse had been finished the day before and loaded onto the Minerva. The remaining four units were being finished up and prepared to be loaded onto the Minerva. If the crews would ever manage to hurry up and finish the suits up.

"Come on! The Minerva is suppose to be launching tomorrow! Let's hurry up and get the Specter and the other machines ready for transport to the Minerva!" Suiren Kyusai shouted.

She put a hand through her blond hair. At the rate they were going, those mobile suits wouldn't be ready until next week. The mobile suit team of the Minerva was suppose to be her first command. And she would not have it ruined because the crews couldn't get their asses in gear and get these machines ready for transport.

She turned to her own machine, the ZGMF-X44S Specter. It was a beauty. She knew everyone was going on about the Impulse as the top of the line mobile suit of the new series. But personally she preferred her Specter.

One of the technicians approached her with a handheld computer. "We've finished updating the programming. But you should get in the cockpit and check it over."

Suiren nodded, heading for her machine. She climbed into her machine and pulled out the keyboard. She started typing away. Her mismatched green and red eyes scanning the screen before her.

* * *

The Minerva

"Well...I'll raise." Dale Helbrecht said, adding chips to the pile.

"I'm out. This is getting too rich for me." Shawn Anderson said.

Tristan Palleon put a hand through his slicked back blond hair. Tristan had aristocratic features, making quite pleasing to the eye. Something his fellow Green Coats regularly joked about. Often calling him 'Pretty Boy Palleon' and the future poster boy of ZAFT's military. While he came from a wealthy family, Tristan was about as far as one could get from the rich spoiled upper class types. One of the reasons why he was a Green Coat and not a higher ranked officer. He wished to earn his rank on his merits, not because of his family's reputation. His green eyes stared at Dale for a moment, then at his cards, then back at Dale. Dale's poker face was too good. "I fold." he said.

Gekido Jaeger glanced at his cards. The gray haired and blue eyed young man had earned a less than pleasant reputation at the Academy. Prone to arguments and fights with people he disagreed with. He was never the less an excellent pilot. More than worthy of being a Red Coat. Yet he had graduated as a Green Coat. Some say that the instructors hated him so much that they purposely lowered his marks. Though others say it was because they were afraid of giving a higher rank to someone with no past. Regardless, Gekido was fiercely loyal to those few people he called friend. Gekido grinned. "You're bluffing. I call." he said, placing his hand on the table.

Two nines and two jacks. Two pair.

Dale grinned. "Not this time." he said, laying his had on the table.

Four kings. Four of a kind.

Gekido let out an annoyed grunt and slapped his forehead as Dale grabbed the pile and added it to his own, already large pile. "Gah...I'm going break that poker face of your's." Gekido said. "Just you wait. I'll get all those winnings back."

Dale chuckled. "Just you try, my friend. Just you try."

* * *

"Ah, Princess. Welcome." Durandal politely said, greeting Cagalli and her entourage. "I apologize for having to have you come all the way here."

"I should be the one to apologize for making you take time out of your busy schedule to meet with me, Chairman Durandal." Cagalli said as the two shook hands.

"How are things in your country?" Durandal asked as the two of them moved towards the couches in the room. "I understand that ever since you've become their Chief Representative, many of the problems that Orb has been experiencing since the war, have been resolved. As the head of a friendly nation, I am happy for you. And a little envious."

"I still have a lot to learn." Cagalli admitted, taking her seat.

"Now. What could this urgent matter be, that would require you to come here in secret?" Durandal asked, ending the small talk. "From what I've heard from our ambassadors, it's a complicated matter that you wish to discuss. Am I correct?"

"It doesn't seem to be a complicated matter to me. But we've yet to receive a clear response from you administration on this matter." Cagalli answered. "My nation has made repeated requests that you cease the use of Orb's technology and human resources for your own military purposes."

* * *

The Girty Lue

The four remaining Third Generation Extended waited in the pilot's lounge. Clad in their flightsuits. The youngest of the group, Mariemaia Zabiarov, was wildly dancing to the music she was listening to on her earphones. She was always like this. Wild and hyperactive. Her shoulder length black hair with red highlights, danced around her moving head. Her flightsuit was purple and black.

Sitting nearby her, was the oldest of the female Extended. Rezin Bidan. Wearing a dark green and black flightsuit. She had black eyes and long, violet hair, braided into a ponytail. Rezin was one of the more claim Extended. Typically acting fairly rational. However, she had a love of explosions. To her they were the most beautiful thing in the world. It didn't matter whether they were big or small. They were all beautiful to her. Especially if Coordinators were caught the blast. Which was probably why she had been assigned the Verde Buster as her mobile suit. With it's firepower, she could create many, many beautiful explosions.

The lone male of group, Gyunei Ridden, sat impatiently next to the door. His flightsuit was red and black. He had short dark brown hair and red eyes. Like Mariemaia, he always craved action. He hated to be sitting around doing nothing. It drove him nuts. Making him dangerous to be around at times. But never the less, he was a deadly pilot in combat.

Rounding out the group was another girl. Reccoa Schnyder. A cold and focused girl, clad in a dark blue and black flightsuit. Her white hair was cut short. She rarely displayed emotions. Like all of them, she followed orders to the letter. She commanded the team in the field whenever Treize was unable to.

There was something unusual about them. All of them wore cloth masks, matching their flightsuits, over their faces. It was due to a glitch in their programming that the doctors had yet to solve. If they saw their face uncovered, they descended into a violent insanity. Attacking anyone and anything they could see. Including themselves.

"Attention. Pilots report to your mobile suits for preparation to sortie." a voice over the intercom said.

"Finally!" Gyunei grumbled, jumping to his feet as Mariemaia stopped dancing. "It's almost time to begin."

They all reached for devices strapped to their left wrists. They were connected to devices on their chests that pumped a cocktail of combat drugs and the drugs responsible for maintain them, directly into their bodies. Pushing a button on the watch-like device, increase the feed of combat drugs into their systems. They then grabbed their helmets and headed for the hanger.

* * *

Armory One

Their talks didn't seem to be going anyway. So Durandal had decided to continue them as they toured the Armory One Base. As Cagalli and Durandal talked, Athrun couldn't help but notice the large number of new mobile suits. Including brand new ZAKUs. He couldn't help but wonder how close ZAFT was to violating the Treaty of Junius Seven.

"You, Princess, are a courageous woman. You fought in a mobile suit during the last war." Durandal complimented. "And you are also the successor to the Lion of Orb, Lord Uzumi. The man who held onto his country's ideal until the very end, without giving in to pressure. What do you believe we should do with the condition the world is in now? I'm sure you already know the answer."

"We will protect our nation and our ideas. It's as simple as that." Cagalli replied.

"We will not attack another nation. Will not allow another nation to attack us. And will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations, correct?"

Cagalli nodded her head. "Yes."

"Naturally, we feel the same way. If possible, that would be the best way. But it is not possible without power. Even you, Princess....No, you of all people should understand that best. Isn't that why Orb maintains full military facilities?"

"Please do me a favour and stop calling me Princess."

"Representative Athha. You give me." he said with a slight bow. "However, I must wonder, what are you afraid of? Is it because of the pressure from the Atlantic Federation? They believe that Orb is providing military aid to us regardless of the treaty."

Cagalli clenched her fist. The relations between Orb and the Atlantic Federation had reached a delicate stage. She had hoped that she could convince Durandal to stop using Orb technology for military purposes. Which would get the Atlantic Federation off their back.

"But it is no truth to that." Durandal continued. "Although we did welcome refugees from the Battle of Orb, it's only natural that those people would wish to make a living here with the skills they have.

"But excessive power will only bring about more conflicts!" Cagalli argued.

"No Princess. Power is necessary because there will always be conflict."

Cagalli opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly, the base's alarms went off.

* * *

A FAITH operative and a ZAFT soldier had picked up them at designated meeting spot. They were taking them to the hanger with the mobile suits they going to steal. Treize Zabiarov didn't like it. They were suppose to trust these filthy Coordinators when they were betraying their own people. Who's to say they won't betray them? If it were up to him, he'd put a bullet in both their heads. But it wasn't.

He didn't like that FAITH operative. There was something about the man that he hated. Something beyond just being a Coordinator. It was like that feeling he had in spaceport.

The FAITH operative opened a side door to the hanger. The ZAFT soldier unzipped the bag and passed out the weapons inside. Sting and Auel armed themselves with a pair of submachine guns, while Stella took a knife and a ZAFT handgun with an extended clip. Treize grabbed a submachine gun and several grenades. He also touched his wristwatch, increasing his combat drugs.

"I believe you know what to do." the FAITH operative said.

A grin spread across Treize's face. They knew. And personally, he was going to enjoy this. "We know what to do." he said. "If you don't want the same fate, leave."

"Very well then. Get to it." the FAITH operative said, before the two ZAFT soldiers left.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!!" Treize shouted, throwing a grenade.

* * *

The FAITH operative and his comrade returned to their jeep. "I wonder. What did those men and women that loaded the nuclear warhead that would spark the Bloody Valentine War thought just before they fired it?" the FAITH operative mused as he sat down in the jeep. "Did they know they were going to start a war that nearly destroyed everything? Or did they realize that they were just parts in the never ending machine of war? And that no matter what they did, war would come."

"I do not know sir." the soldier replied.

The operative chuckled as the jeep sped off. "No one does. They died in the battle. Though I do know what Sato and his soldiers are thinking. Deep down they know they are gears in the machinery. They know they will bring about another war. And they want it. Tell me, who do you think will win the war?"

"Durandal sir." the soldier replied. "Durandal's plan is nearly flawless."

"Perhaps. Though I feel that the Clyne Faction will surprise us all. Lacus Clyne is someone that should not be underestimated. Zala, Azrael, and Creuset did. And ended up losing to them." he said. "Should they win, the fools will not do anything to change the world. They will maintain the status quo. Which will only bring about more wars. Because of that stupidity, I truly despise that group. They could have changed everything after the last war. Instead, they did nothing and let the world side back to it's path of war. But we shall shatter the machine known as war. Even if it takes a war to do so."

* * *

"Everything checks out." Suiren said to one of the technicians.

Suddenly, she grabbed her head. She felt something... Something wrong. Her eyes widened. "Intruders!!" she shouted.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!!"

A grenade landed next to a group of workers. Before they could run, it exploded. Four armed people rushed into the hanger, firing on the ZAFT soldiers and workers. The ZAFT soldiers and workers never stood a chance. The four were fast, brutal and efficient. Stella leapt into the air as String and Auel fired on the Coordinators. Auel gunned down a pair of armed soldiers atop one of the mobile suits. Stella landed, slashing one soldier's throat and shooting several others. One soldier rushed to the alarm. But before he could reach it, bullets tore through his legs and he fell to the ground. Suiren swore as she ducked behind the Specter's leg.

A soldier rushed over to her position, firing his assault rifle as he ran. "Here." he said, handing her his sidearm.

The two inched over to the edge of the Specter's foot. A moment later, the two moved from their cover and fired their fire arms. The soldier crouching down, Suiren firing above him. But Treize fired as they moved around the corner. Hitting the soldier in the head and forcing Suiren to duck behind her cover again.

"You bastard!" Suiren shouted as more ZAFT personnel died around her. "You murdering terrorists! I don't why you're doing this or what the hell you believe in but you'll never get away with this!"

"Terrorists? This isn't about fear. Nor are we terrorists. We're soldiers." Treize replied, approaching the Specter. "As to what I believe in. I believe that everyone of you filthy Patchworkers must be cast out into the void of space!"

Treize rolled past the Specter's foot, his gun locked on the area where Suiren had been standing. But she wasn't there. He cautiously took a step forward, searching for her. Suddenly, Suiren jumped down from the Specter's leg, landing of Treize. Knocking him to the ground. Suiren tried to pin him to the ground. But to her surprise, Treize slowly started to get to his feet with her still on top of him. She pulled out the handgun she had tucked into her belt. "Stop or I'll-"

Treize slammed his elbow into her stomach, knocking her off his back. Suiren crashed to ground, dropping her gun. Treize grabbed his weapon and pointed it at her. He smirked. Treize fired off a burst at her, purposely missing. Suiren rushed to her feet as bullets whizzed by her. She had to get out of there. Or she wouldn't make it. Suiren ran as Treize continued to play with her. Laughing as bullets danced around her feet.

Suddenly, a wound ZAFT soldier hit an alarm. Treize turned to the man and gunned him down. But Suiren had used that moment to escape from the hanger.

"Get into the machines." Treize ordered, climbing onto one of the four machines. "Deactivate the self-destruct first."

Treize climbed into the cockpit of his machine, removing his sunglasses and replaced them with his black and red cloth mask. Momentarily revealing his mismatched eyes. He activated the mobile suit. The black screens in the cockpit lit up.

**MOBILE SUIT NEO OPERATION SYSTEM**

**Generation**

**Unrestricted**

**Network**

**Drive**

**Assault**

**Module**

**G.U.N.D.A.M**

**_Ver.2.5.3 Rev.07_**

**Z.A.F.T**

Treize quickly deactivated the mobile suit's self-destruct as his team mates did the same. One by one, the Specter, the Gaia, the Chaos and the Abyss rose to their feet.

Suiren reached the outside of the hanger. Confusion was reining among the ZAFT personnel in the base. "Intruders!!" Suiren screamed, trying to warn everyone. "I think they're trying to steal the new machines!!"

A moment later, the hanger exploded. The force of the blast threw her to ground. Emerging from the flaming wreckage was the Specter, the Gaia, the Chaos and the Abyss. "Go. Destroy the mobile suits before the pilots can get in them." Treize ordered.

The four mobile suits fired on the nearby hangers, destroying them. Many mobile suits were destroyed in an instant. Along with dozens of ZAFT personnel.

* * *

Durandal, Cagalli and everyone else could only watch in horror as the hangers exploded. Athrun and Flay pulled Cagalli to the ground as a group of ZAFT soldiers did the same for Chairman Durandal. Shielding them from the force of the blast and flying debris.

"It's the new models! Someone's stolen them!" a soldier shouted.

"Scramble all mobile suits! We need to recapture them!"

"New models?" Cagalli asked as she and everyone else climbed back to their feet.

At that moment, she got her answer. The Abyss appeared, firing it's cannons at a hanger. Destroying the mobile suits inside.

"That's a..." Cagalli stammered.

"Gundam..." Athrun finished.

GuAIZ Rs and old GINNs rushed to intercept the stolen machines. But many were quickly shot down by these new mobile suits. Treize fired the fired the Specter's beam revolvers at a wing of DINNs. Shooting down the airborne mobile suits before they could get a shot off. The Gaia, in it's mobile armor mode, ran between the rows of hangers and warehouses, firing at the buildings and mobile suits. The Chaos gunned down a pair of GuAIZ Rs and a GAZuOOT.

"Quickly. Get the Princes to a shelter." Durandal ordered.

A soldier nodded. "This way." he said to Cagalli and her group.

They raced towards the shelters. But as they ran behind a hanger, Flay tripped. Athrun and Cagalli both stopped to help her, when at that moment, there was an explosion. The hanger had sheltered the three from the blast, but their guide hadn't been so lucky. He had been caught in the blast and killed.

Over head, a DINN fired on the Gaia, but missed. Allowing the Gaia to leap into the air and slice the mobile suit in two. The DINN's upper half crashed into a nearby hanger. It exploded, tossing a ZAKU Warrior to the ground.

Athrun, who was holding Cagalli tightly, knew they weren't going to survive out in the open like this. There was only one option. "Come on!" he said, pulling Cagalli towards the ZAKU.

The trio quickly climbed into the green mobile suit. Athrun at the controls, has he was the only one that could pilot the ZAKU with it's Coordinator OS, while Cagalli and Flay were on either side of him. Athrun powered up the ZAKU and it rose to it's feet. "Hold on. This is going to get rough." he warned.

It didn't take long for Stella to spot them. She fired at the ZAKU. But Athrun nimbly dodged her shots and tackled the Gaia. Ramming the ZAKU's shield into it. The Gaia stumbled back, losing it's rifle in the process. Stella drew a beam saber as Athrun drew the ZAKU's beam tomahawk. The two clashed, hitting the other's shield. Stella knocked Athrun back and lunged at him. However, Athrun dodged her swing and slammed his shield into her again. As Stella stumbled back, Sting landed behind the ZAKU, a beam saber drawn. He rushed the ZAKU, hoping to catch Athrun off guard. Athrun spun, trying to raise his shield in time. But he wasn't fast enough and the Chaos sliced through the ZAKU's left forearm.

Suddenly, several missiles hit the Chaos's back. Everyone turned to the newcomer. It was a small fighter. It flew past them. The legs and upper body of a mobile suit following close behind. To everyone's surprise. The fighter folded up and docked with the legs and then docked with the upper body, becoming a whole mobile suit. Then a third flier appeared, attaching itself to the machine's back. Mounting a pair of anti-ship swords on the mobile suit. It's red and white phase shift activated and the suit landed before them.

"Why is this happening?" Shinn Asuka asked. "Are trying to start another one? Another war?!"

* * *

And so the first chapter ends. Now, I want to make something clear. Some people commented that they believed that Ian knew too much about Patrick Zala and what he was planning. I don't want people making similar comments about what he said about Durandal. He has no idea what Durandal is planning, nor does he have any inkling that such a thing is going to happen. He just commented that Durandal has a silver tongue. In other words, an excellent speaker. Which he is.

As always, review.


	3. Phase Two: Those Who Call For War

Yo everybody! I'm finally done this chapter. I apologize for taking so long. I wasn't able to work on this for the entire week, save for today and yesterday. But it's done now.

One thing I forgot. Suiren also doesn't belong to me. She belongs to my fellow writer, Maileesaeya.

And I want to take a moment to thank all those that reviewed my first chapter. I didn't expect to get so many so quickly. A special nod to HeavyarmsBuster-01, who was the only person to ask me about the Dominion, which I had spared total destruction. It will return. But not until much, much later.

And as to Mayu, I'm only going to say this. She won't appear again until roughly halfway through Destiny.

Also, I've found some of the comments on Chris being alive, like the whole Mu/Neo thing, amusing. An interesting idea, especially the idea of him being the FAITH agent. Certainly, there is at the moment, the possibility that I could do that. But I'll probably stick with what I've planned out.

Now on with the show.

**Phase Two: Those Who Call For War**

Aboard the Minerva

The poker game was intensifying. Tristan and Shawn had cut their losses and quit. But Gekido was still determined to defeat Dale's unbeatable poker face. Gekido glanced at his hand. A full house. Dale was going down. "You're going down, Dale. I call."

Dale laid his cards on the table. Three eights, a two and a four. Finally, the poker king was beaten. Gekido's smile widened. "I-"

"All hands report to Level One Battlestations! This is not a drill! Armory One is under attack! I repeat..."

The four ZAFT green coat pilots instantly stood up, their game forgotten. "What the hell? Who'd be crazy enough to attack us here in Armory One?" Shawn said.

"Does it matter?" Tristan asked. "We're under attack."

* * *

Armory One

The Specter rammed it's sword through the chest of a mobile suit, piercing the cockpit and the pilot. Treize kicked the GuAIZ off his sword and glanced at his nearby teammates, just as a strange white mobile suit appeared. These pitiful mobile suits were of no interest to him. But the white machine...Well, that looked like it was something much more interesting. He quickly checked the Specter's library. There was no match. "Of course. Those bastards hid this one from us." Treize said to himself. "No matter."

The white mobile suit reminded him of the famed Strike of the last war. Treize briefly wondered if this machine's pilot was as good as the late Kira Yamato had been. It didn't matter. He had bested Yamato dozens of times in simulators and he would defeat this one as well.

"Why is this happening?" Shinn asked. "Are trying to start another one? Another war?!

Starting another war? Was guy really that foolish? Treize laughed. "Start another war? Of course we are! We exist only to fight in wars and kill people like you Coordinator! Like all soldiers do! If you're too weak to understand that than you don't belong in that machine!" he replied. "Allow me to fix that!!"

The Specter raced forward, it's sword raised. Shinn separated his swords and crossed them together, blocking Treize's attack. "Not bad. You've got some skill." Treize commented. "But you're no match for me."

Treize activated the Specter's powerful Vernier boosters, propelling it forward and knocking the Impulse to the ground. Shinn quickly started to get up, but Treize appeared above him, swinging his Tempest sword down. Shinn swung his own swords up, forcing Treize to pull back or be impaled on his blades. This allowed Shinn to get back on his feet. At that moment, however, the Abyss appeared, swinging it's spear down on the Impulse. Shinn countered by delivering a kick to the Abyss's mid-section. The Gaia, in it's mobile armor mode, lunged at Shinn. The Impulse jumped up, dodging the mobile suit.

"Sting, Stella, Auel, surround him." Treize ordered. "We'll overwhelm him and take him apart."

* * *

Suiren groaned as she returned to consciousness. She opened her eyes and then blinked several times, bringing the world back into focus. Suiren then checked that she was still in one piece. Aside from some scrapes and bruises, she was fine. She got back up onto her feet and looked around. The area was a warzone. Wreckage and bodies littering the area. But she could still hear the sounds of combat. The intruders will still inside Armory One. Suiren knew she needed to get to a mobile suit and help stop those bastards. After all, no one knew the Specter like she did.

She started running through the area, looking for a mobile suit that she could use. But the four intruders had been very efficient. Taking out many of the hangers before the pilots could even get to their machines.

_'Come on! There has to be something they missed!'_ she thought as she desperately searched for a usable mobile suit. _'I'll take anything! Even an old GINN!'_

That's when she saw it. One of the limited production ZAKU Phantom High Maneuver Types, lying half outside a ruined hanger. The ZAKU HM Types had been designed as a ZAKU variant for elite veteran combat units, chief among them, the 11th Autonomous Mobile Fleet. While they lacked the ability to mount Wizard Packs, like the normal ZAKU, they possessed a flightpack and the lightwave pulse thrusters of previous HM units instead.

Suiren climbed into the ZAKU's cockpit and started it up. Crossing her fingers and hoping that it hadn't been damaged internally. The ZAKU successfully powered up. Suiren pulled the mobile suit back onto it's feet. Everything was working properly so far. She quickly check of her systems. All green. Next, weapons.

Unfortunately, that is where her luck ran out. The ZAKU's rifle had been badly damaged in the explosion and was useless. Leaving her with only the ZAKU's beam tomahawk and grenades.

"Still better than nothing." Suiren said as she started heading for where the mobile suits battling.

But she stopped when she spotted a group of ZAFT personnel trying to dig out a pair of ZAKUs from underneath a pile of debris. A pair of Red Coats were with him. Rey Za Burrel and Lunamaria Hawke, if she remembered correctly. "Get out of the way." she said to the people on the ground. "I'll dig them out for you."

The crews quickly backed away from the two machines, allowing her to clear the debris off of them. Rey and Luna both quickly climbed into their machines and powered them up. "Thanks Suiren." Rey politely said to her as his ZAKU Phantom stood up.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping us out." Luna added as her own red machine got off the ground.

"Don't mention it." Suiren replied as she grabbed a beam assault rifle from a half destroyed ZAKU. "Come on. We need to take these guys down before they can cause anymore damage."

"Right." both pilots said as they headed for the battle.

Suiren opened a private channel to Rey. "Rey. You might want to stay clear of the Specter. It's pilot has a presence that is..._unpleasant_."

Suiren had never felt anyone like that white haired intruder. She had never encountered anyone that felt so... So wrong. Like he was something that never should have been brought into existence. She didn't like the idea of being near him again. But he had stolen her machine right in front of her and Suiren couldn't let such an insult slide.

"I understand."

* * *

Shinn grit his teeth as he blocked the descending spear of the Abyss with his swords. But the moment he blocked the shot, the Specter tackled him, sending the Impulse to the ground. Shinn had to admit, while the pilots of the Gaia, the Chaos, and the Abyss were skilled, the Specter's pilot was on a whole other level. He had never fought someone, either in a simulator or training matches, with his level of skill. Shinn hated to admit it, but he wasn't sure if he could beat him one on one. Much less take him with it was one against four.

A CGUE and a quartet DINNs appeared, firing on the stolen machines. The Chaos, the Gaia and the Abyss engaged the mobile suits while the Specter stood over the Impulse, a foot pinning it to the ground. It's Tempest sword raised above the Impulse's chest. Shinn's eyes widened in horror while Treize smirked.

Suddenly, the one armed ZAKU Warrior lunged at the Specter with it's tomahawk. Allowing Shinn to get back up as Treize dealt with it.

Athrun swung his axe down. But Treize blocked it with his shield and before Athrun could react, trust his sword into the side of the arm holding the axe. Severing it. Treize then grabbed the ZAKU, turning it around and using it as a shield. Athrun swore as he tried to get them out of the Specter's grip. But there was little he could do. Cagalli, Flay and himself were now little more than a human shield for the Specter.

"You coward!" Shinn shouted.

"Only cowards and weaklings don't use all resources on the battlefield." Treize said with a sneer. "What will it be? Gonna attack me at the cost of his life?"

Shinn scowled. But didn't move. He couldn't risk it.

"Drop your swords." Treize ordered.

Shinn complied, letting his swords drop to the ground. "Good. Now catch!"

Treize threw the ZAKU into the Impulse. Shinn caught the mobile suit. But as soon as he did, the Specter jumped up, firing it's cannon at them.

Shinn, acting on reflex, threw the ZAKU out of the way and jumped back. The ZAKU crashed into the ground. Athrun was fine in the pilot's chair, and Flay managed to brace herself against the side of the cockpit, reducing the impact on her. But Cagalli wasn't so lucky. Her head slammed against the side of the cockpit and she fell onto Athrun. "Cagalli!!" a worried Athrun shouted.

She was unconscious and bleed from a head injury. He had to get her out of here now. He got the ZAKU back onto it's feet and took off.

The ZAKU's departure didn't even register on the minds of Shinn and the Extended. Shinn drew his rifle and fired at the Specter. Treize fired up his boosters again, launching him higher into the air. Most of Shinn's shots missed while the few that did find their mark, hit his shield. Treize fired the Specter's multi-phase beam cannon again. Shinn jumped back, narrowly missing the beam. The Specter landed and Treize drew his beam revolvers, firing at the Impulse. Shinn struggled to dodge his shots.

Treize fired his cannon. Shinn dove to the right to avoid it. But as he did, Treize fired in his path. The beam hit the ground in front of Shinn. The explosion knocked the Impulse back and knocked away it's rifle. Treize snickered. "You're right handed. I can tell you. Because you favor dodging to the right." he explained. "I knew that if I fired at you, you would most likely move to your right to dodge it. Quite predictable. Your machine might be an excellent mobile suit. But it's clearly wasted on an inferior pilot like yourself."

"Shut up!" Shinn shouted as he stood back up.

Treize ignored him. "How about this? You power down your machine and climb out. And I spare your life-"

"No way!" yelled Shinn as he fired on the Specter.

Treize dodged the shots effortlessly and shook his head. "You truly are a miserable example of your wretched kind. Your piloting skills are lack and you're rude, Patchworker. I was offering you an excellent deal and you don't even let me finish. No matter. I'll kill you and take what's left of your machine."

Treize drew his sword and rocketed down from the sky, heading for the Impulse at the Specter's maximum speed. There wasn't much Shinn could do and they both knew it.

Suddenly, Treize stopped, feeling a pair of pulses. A trio of beams shot pass him. Had he been moving forward, the beams would have hit him. Both pilots as well the other Extended, turned towards the source of the beams.

"Hey thief! You have something that belongs to me!" Suiren shouted, firing at the Specter as Luna and Rey fired on other stolen mobile suits. "And I want it back!"

"Patience, girl. I will get to you in good time." Treize said, dodging her shots and drawing one of his beam revolvers.

Sting and Stella joined him, firing back with their beam rifles as Auel fired the beam guns mounted on the Abyss's shoulder fins. Suiren, Luna and Rey evaded the shots as they fired their beam assault rifles at the four.

As this was going on, Shinn rushed towards where the Impulse's swords laid. Treize glanced at the Impulse. "Sorry. I can't allow you to do that, inferior one." he said, rushing after Shinn and raising his sword.

But just as he reached the Impulse, Shinn grabbed his swords and spun around. Two blades met one. Shinn and Treize battled to overpower the other. As they clashed, Suiren drew her tomahawk and rushed towards the Specter. Just as she reached him, Treize hit the Specter's Verniers and shot up into the air. Suiren swore as she stopped her charge. Treize kicked Suiren's ZAKU from behind, slamming it into the Impulse.

Auel fired his beam guns at Rey's ZAKU. Forcing Rey to duck under his shots, drawing his tomahawk as he did. Rey lunged forward, swinging his axe. Auel blocked Rey's attack with his spear, then followed up with a knee into the ZAKU's chest. Elsewhere, Sting and Stella traded shots with Luna. The beams from the Extended forced Luna to take cover behind the wreckage of a hanger. Luna reached for one of her ZAKU's grenades. "Let's see how you like this!" Luna said, tossing the grenade at the pair.

The grenade landed between the Chaos and the Gaia. The two pilots dove away just as it went off, allowing Luna to fire back at them.

* * *

Outside Armory One

Unbeknownst to the ZAFT forces at Armory One, the Girty Lue, cloaked under it's Mirage Colloid, closed in on the ZAFT space port and nearby vessels. It's hangers open. A Strike Noir, a Blu Duel, a Rosso Aegis and a Verde Buster were launched.

The Strike and the Buster slowly headed for the spaceport while the Duel and the Aegis head towards one of the patrol ships.

The mobile suits slowly headed for the dock, undetected by any of the ZAFT ship or those in the space port command center. Mariemaia Zabiarov grinned as she piloted her Strike Noir towards the unsuspecting Coordinators. She glanced back at the lagging Verde Buster. She stopped and grabbed the Buster's arm, opening a private contact channel. "Come on, Rezin! Hurry up! I wanna hear the beautiful music...of dying Coordinators!"

"Don't worry Maia. We'll make it in time to start the attack. And we'll make a lot of music." Rezin replied, glancing out at the PLANTs. "Shame we can't stay to crush the Patchworkers' feeble hourglasses as well."

The two female Extended reached the dock, keeping out of sight. Three Laurasia-class warships were inside. All unaware of what was about to happen.

Elsewhere, the Blu Duel and Rosso Aegis silently approached the underside of a patrolling Nazca-class. "How typical of the Coordinators to rely upon their technology and distance from Earth to protect them." Reccoa commented. "How fitting that we should kill them where they feel safest."

Aboard the hidden Girty Lue, Captain Neo Roanoke glanced at his watch. By now, the Lieutenant and the others should have stolen the machines and would soon be making their escape. "Sir. The mobile suit team is in position." one of the Girty Lue's officers said.

Neo nodded. "Activate Gottfrieds. Load missile tubes with Sledgehammers. Target the port Nazca-classes. Fire!"

The Girty Lue's Gottfrieds fired. The beams tore the first Nazca-class. The Girty Lue's Mirage Colloid deactivated as it let loose a barrage of missiles at the second ZAFT warship, destroying it too.

Gyunei grinned, igniting his arm mounted beam sabers. "Time to cast into the void, Space Aliens!" he yelled, moving in front of the warship.

He roared, charging at the ship's hanger. He drove the blades into the hanger, cutting a strip out of it. Gyunei pushed the Rosso Aegis's chest up against the hole. He fired several beams from his Scylla II cannon into the hanger. Explosions blossomed across the ship's hull. A moment later, the ship exploded.

Alarms went off in the spaceport control room. The Laurasia-class ships started to leave the dock. Heading to attack the intruder. "Let's get it started!" Rezin shouted. "For the preservation of our blue and pure world!!"

"Yeah!!" Maia shouted, hitting a button on her console. Rock music blared into her cockpit and every channel. "For the preservation of our blue and pure world!!"

Confusion reined across the ZAFT forces in the dock and nearby it. An unknown ship had just appeared and destroyed two ZAFT vessels while a third had been taken down by a mobile suit. And now the comm channels were all filled with music preventing them from effectively communicating with the nearby ZAFT vessels and even those within Armory One. Before those inside the warships and the dock itself could react, beams and missiles tore through the hanger. A beam tore through the bridge of the first Laurasia-class. It crashed into the dock floor. Several of the Verde Buster's beams and missiles tore through the thrusters of the second Laurasia-class, causing it to crash into the spaceport control room. Explosions tore through the spaceport, claiming the last Laurasia-class.

* * *

Armory One

Everyone stopped as they felt the vibrations from the battle outside the colony. "Damn." Treize said, glancing up. "Sting, Stella, Auel. We're leaving."

"Aw... Already?" Auel whined. "What about that one?"

"Leave it. Our orders are to take these machines back to the ship. We can deal with that one at a later date." Trezie replied. "It's time to leave."

The Specter, the Gaia, the Abyss and the Chaos took off, heading towards a distant section of the colony wall. "Come on. We're not going to let these guys escape." Suiren said, taking off after them.

Shinn, Rey, and Luna followed her, firing at the fleeing Extended. But a few moments after they took to the air, one of the thrusters on her ZAKU, exploded. "Lunamaria! Are you alright?" Rey called out as Luna's ZAKU started falling back.

"I'm fine. But I can't sustain my altitude."

"There's nothing you can do. Fallback to the Minerva." Rey said.

"Right." Luna said, her red ZAKU pulling away from the group.

A warning light went off in Shinn's cockpit. The Impulse was running low on power. Fortunately, running low on power wasn't a serious problem for the Impulse. So long as it wasn't cut off from the Minerva anyway. "Meyrin. Launch the Force Silhouette." Shinn said, calling the warship.

"Roger. Launching Force Silhouette now."

A moment later, a flyer was launched from Minerva. Shinn detached the Sword Silhouette and deactivated Impulse's phase shift. The Force Silhouette then attached itself to the Impulse back, boosting the Impulse's battery. It's gray armor turned white and blue.

'Interesting. So that machine is indeed heavily modeled after the GAT-X105 Strike.' Treize thought as he watched the Impulse. 'Figures. The best weapon the Coordinators have, is ripped from our machines.'

The Impulse and the ZAKUs started firing at them. The four Extended evaded the shots as they continued towards the colony wall. A beam from the Impluse narrowly missed the Gaia's side. Stella let out a frustrated growl as she turned around and fired on the Impulse. Shinn sidestepped her shots and continued to fire on her.

* * *

Outside Armory One

"C'mon Coordinators! Dance to my music!" Maia said as she fired on a pair of GuAIZ Rs, destroying them. "No no no. That was terrible."

Another GuAIZ appeared, firing on her. Maia sidestepped the beams. "Okay. Once more. With feeling this time." she said, firing back on the mobile suit.

A beam tore through the GuAIZ's right knee. Another beam severed it's left shoulder. The damaged GuAIZ staggered back. But Maia didn't let up. She continued to fire on the ZAFT machine. Blowing off it's head and remaining limbs. "That's better. Still not good. But better." the Extended said, aiming at the GuAIZ's torso.

A shot rang out and GuAIZ exploded.

The Verde Buster fired it's beam cannon and gun launcher at a Nazca-class, hitting the warship's hanger as a GuAIZ R was about to launch. Rezin laughed as a fireball consumed the entire hanger and it's mobile suits. The Rosso Aegis, in it's mobile armor mode, grabbed a CGUE in it's limbs. Gyunei smirked as he squeezed the mobile suit, crushing it's body. "Oops... I broke this one." he said, laughing. "Someone bring me another one!"

A pair of GuAIZs fired at him. "You'll do!"

He fired his Scylla cannon. The beam pierced one GuAIZ as the other tried to dodged it. But he was unprepared for the curving nature of the beam and was hit too.

More ZAFT mobile suits approached the four Extended pilots. Reccoa fired her beam guns, taking down a trio of GuAIZs and a CGUE. "Pathetic." she said. "These Coordinators are utterly hopless."

"What's taking them so long?" Gyunei impatiently asked, slicing a pair of GuAIZs in two. "I thought this was suppose to be a quick grab and run. Don't tell that Big Bad Treize is losing his touch."

"Hey! You better watch your mouth." Maia shot back, firing her rifles' grenades at Laurasia-class. "Big brother won't like hearing that. He'll kill you for saying that."

Elsewhere, aboard the Girty Lue, Neo was growing impatient as well. He had expected better of Treize. Out of all of the Extended, Treize was the best and normally the most reliable of all three generations that had come out of the labs. Even an unexpected problem shouldn't have kept him busy for long.

While the combat abilities of the Extended were incredibly high, even they would eventually be overwhelmed by the steer numbers of the ZAFT forces undoubtedly heading to aid the surviving forces of Armory One. "Have my Exus prepped for launch." he said, rising from his seat.

* * *

The Extended were finally nearing the colony wall. Unfortunately, Stella had become obsessed with destroying the Impulse. As a result, she was dangerously lagging behind. "Come on Stella!" Sting called out as he fired at Rey's ZAKU. "We need to get out of here!"

"No! I can beat him! I _will_ beat him!!" Stella yelled back as she swung a beam saber at the Impulse.

Shinn blocked the saber with one of his own and then slammed his shield into the Gaia's chest. Knocking the black machine back. "Fine then." Auel said with a smirk. "I'll guess you'll just stay here and _die_!"

Stella froze. Her eyes widened as her body trembled. "Die... Am I going to die? NO!!! I don't want to die!!" she screamed, rushing towards the colony wall.

"Idiot!!!" Treize shouted as he fired his beam revolvers at Suiren. "Why the hell did you use her block word?!"

"Hey. It got her moving, didn't it." Auel replied in his defense.

As the ZAFT pilots and the three remaining Extended pilots battled, Stella reached the colony, firing at it. Desperate to get back to the Girty Lue. Back to Neo. Back to where she'd be safe. Her beams slammed into the wall, damaging it. She continued to fire.

"Dammit." Shinn swore as he watched the Gaia fire upon the colony wall. He had to stop them from damaging the colony any further. He raced toward the Gaia, when the Specter shot out in front of him.

Treize fired at him, forcing Shinn back. "Not so fast, inferior one. You have to get through me first."

Suddenly, a beam tomahawk flew towards the Specter, forcing to dive out of the way. "I don't think so." Suiren said, bringing her ZAKU Phantom towards the pair. "Shinn, stop the Gaia. I'll deal with-"

She was cut off as the Chaos's mobile weapon pods fired on her. But Suiren managed to evade Sting's shots. "You seem to have forgotten that there's three of us here." Sting said, firing his rifle and pods on her.

Suiren swore as she dodged his beams. She wasn't a big fan of DRAGOONs and similar weapons. They were a pain in the ass to fight against. Even for one with her level of awareness. Though luckily for her, she could tell that this pilot lacked the level of awareness that would enable him to use it to the maximum potential. If the pilot had been like her or Rey or the white haired pilot, she would have been in serious trouble. She could handle this guy one on one.

* * *

ZAFT Aid Station

"Who's in charge here?!" Durandal asked as he and his bodyguards approached. "I need a status report now!"

Ian Kessel and a ZAFT officer approached the group. "Chairman, it's not safe here." Ian said. "Please sir, get to a shelter."

"How can I head for shelter when I don't even know what's going on?!" Durandal argued.

Ian sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, when a ZAFT officer approached the group. "Sirs. We still can't reach Dock Control or the outside."

Ian shook his head. "You want to know what's happening, everything's gone south. Our GuAIZs and older mobile suits are torn apart by the stolen prototypes while most of our ZAKUs were either destroyed or badly damaged in the first minutes of the attack. And we have no idea what's happening outside the colony." he explained. "Now please sir, at least get to the Minerva. There's not much you can do here and if worse comes to worse, the Minerva will be able to get you to safety."

Durandal scowled as he glanced at the docked warship. "Fine."

* * *

Outside Armory One

A trio of GuAIZs headed for the four Extended pilots, only to be suddenly cut down by three barrages of shots, from three different directions. Destroying all of them. Neo recalled his Exus's gun pods as he glanced at Armory One, looking for some sign of the other team.

It didn't take him long. He spotted a portion of the colony wall glowing red from weapons fire. They were blasting through the colony. "Rezin." Neo called out. "Have you ever blown a hole in a colony?"

"No sir. Not yet." came her reply.

"Well now's your chance. Treize's team is trying to punch out a hole for their escape. These are their coordinates. Use your remaining missiles and help them out." he ordered. "Everyone else head back to the ship."

"With pleasure sir." Rezin said, heading for the site as the Strike Noir, Blu Duel and Rosso Aegis returned to the Girty Lue.

When Reizen reached the site, she unloaded her missiles. They hit the already weakened wall as Stella fired another barrage. It was too much for much for the wall. It exploded.

The ZAFT pilots all gasped as an explosion tore through the colony wall. An instant later, air started being sucked into space. Pulling the Gaia outside the colony. Treize smirked as he pulled away from the Impulse. "Sting, Auel, the door's been opened. Let's go."

The Chaos's pods reattached themselves. "Roger. Withdrawing."

Rey and Auel clashed. Tomahawk met spear. But Auel won. Cutting through the handle of the tomahawk, just above the ZAKU's hand. Auel grinned, spinning his spear. The butt of the weapon hit the white mobile suit, knocking it aside. Allowing Auel to regroup with his teammates. "I'm coming."

The trio fled into the gaping hole, escaping into space.

"Shinn, Rey, come on. We're not gonna let these bastards go home after all they've done." Suiren said, racing after them.

"But we're running low on power. We may not be able to chase after them for much longer." Rey argued. "Plus we don't know what's happening outside. We could be walking into a trap."

Shinn shook his head and followed Suiren. "We can't just let them escape. Not after what's happened."

"One thing you need to learn about being a combat pilot Rey, taking risks is part of our job. There's a time for playing it safe and there's time for taking risks." Suiren said. "And this is a time to take a risk. If we let them get away here, we may not ever catch them again."

Rey sighed. But ultimately, he followed after his comrades.

* * *

The Minerva's Bridge

Talia Gladys, Captain of the Minerva, scowled as they watched the Impulse and the ZAKUs fly through the hole in the colony.

"Captain!" Meyrin Hawke, the Minerva's Combat Information Control Officer, called out. "The Impulse is running low on power! Only three hundred seconds at most!"

Talia stood up from her chair. "We cannot afford to lose the Impulse as well. Prepare the Minerva for launch." She turned to the ship's guest. "I trust you don't have a problem with that, Chairman."

"No." Durandal quietly replied. "We really have no other choice at this point."

"Commence Minerva launch sequence." the Minerva's XO, Arthur Trine said over the intercom. "The ship is now switching to combat status."

"Gunnery crews, FCS contact. All personnel, set all projectile weapons to Grade One."

Talia turned to Durandal again. "Mr. Chairman, please disembark now."

"No Talia. This is not a situation where I can just stay behind and wait for reports." he replied. "I have duties along with my authority. I will accompany this vessel. Please allow it."

Talia just shook her head. There was little she could. If he wished to stay on board, she didn't have the authority to stop him.

Athrun landed the damaged ZAKU onto the open catapult of the new ZAFT warship. Cagalli had regained consciousness, but was still in daze and possibly had concussion. Athrun parked the ZAKU in the Minerva's hanger and opened it's cockpit hatch. He and Cagalli left first, riding the cable down to the ground.

"You there! Don't move." a violet haired girl in a Red Coat uniform ordered, a gun trained on them. "Who are you? And how did you get aboard that ZAKU?"

More ZAFT soldiers, as well as members of the hanger crew and four regular ZAFT pilots gathered around her. Unsure of what was going on.

"Lower your weapon." Athrun replied. "This is the Chief Representative of Orb. Cagalli Yula Athha. I am one of her attendants, Alex Dino." He then gestured at Flay, who had reached the ground. "And this is her assistant, Flay Allster. We were caught up in the commotion during our meeting with Chairman Durandal. And since we were unable to find shelter, we were forced to borrow this machine to protect ourselves."

Luna and the soldiers lowered their weapons. "Orb's Chief Representative?" a very confused Luna asked. "But why would she be here?"

"The Representative has been injured!" Athrun said. "She needs medical attention. And is the Chairman aboard this ship? If so, we need to see him immediately."

Luna nodded. She wasn't really sure what to do. So she figured that she would have to take them to the Captain to get this all sorted out.

* * *

Outside Armory One

As the three ZAFT pilots entered space through the hole, both Rey and Suiren felt a presence. Suiren's eyes widened. "Look out!" she shouted.

Beams rained down on them from a number of different angles. A beam blasted the Impluse's shield from it's hand. Another grazed the left side of Rey's Phantom, carving a gash on it's head. A third beam severed the right shield of Suiren's ZAKU But thanks to her warning, those were the only beams that hit them.

"So this is what was keeping Treize and the others busy." Neo said as he continued his attack. "It's my fault. I should have expected there to be more prototypes we weren't aware of."

Shinn, Suiren and Rey struggled to evaded the beams from the Exus's gunbarrels. They had all seen the intruders' ship. But there was little they could do while they fought just to evade the beams. "Dammit! Where the hell are all these beams coming from?" exclaimed Shinn.

"Gunbarrels." Suiren replied. "Just like our DRAGOON system. Only wire-guided. One guy can attack from multiple directions at once. Making it difficult to fight such machines. Especially against someone that can use them to their maximum potential. Just focus on staying alive."

Suiren took aim as she continued to dodge Neo's shots. This was the tricky part. Trying to track something that was almost always moving while having to dodge the shots of the of gunbarrels. It required a great deal of skill and luck. She fired. A beam pierced a gunbarrel. But just after she fired, another gunbarrel fired at her, hitting her rifle. Suiren swore as Rey and Shinn fired their own rifles at the mobile weapons. Shinn's shots were too slow. Utterly missing his targets. Rey did a bit better. Able to better predict where the weapons were going. But he still missed his targets.

Neo smirked. "Not bad. But not good enough. Now I'll take that fifth one if you don't mind."

But at that moment, a massive set of doors on Armory One started to open. Everyone stopped and turned to the doors. The doors finished opening, revealing the Minerva. The dock clamps detached themselves from the ship. The Minerva took off, it's wings unfolding.

* * *

And done. It took a while, but it's done.

Now, Suiren's ZAKU Phantom HM Type is more or less a ZAKU Phantom with a Blaze Pack. Later on, it will be customized and given new weapons. So I'm not doing a MS profile for it yet.

As to why Treize said that Kira was dead, I don't believe that the Alliance was ever made aware that he was still alive after the battle just before JOSH-A. So he would still be considered by them to be MIA, most likely KIA.

And the next chapter, some old faces from SEED return. I'm not going to say who, just there will be four faces returning and I'll leave that for you all to guess who they are. But let's just say the next battle against Phantom Pain will be interesting.


	4. Phase Three: Warning Shots

Yo everybody. I'm sorry for taking so long. It's because of a couple of reasons. The biggest being that I've been helping my younger brother with his own Avatar fanfic. But this chapter's done.

Though I do have to say that I've enjoyed the response that I've gotten so far. Especially, some of the comments involving Treize and the Third Generation Extended. You'd be surprised by some of the unused ideas I had for him. The biggest of which being where Mu doesn't 'die' and Treize replaced Neo as a more brutal and vicious commander of Phantom Pain. Though I enjoy what I've decided to do with him.

And I want to say something. A lot of you appear to not like Shinn. Which I understand. But I actually mind Shinn all that much. I didn't like him as much as other characters, but I didn't hate him either. I'm not going to bash him or get him beaten all that much. He will get into fights, like in this chapter, but only a few over the course of Destiny. And all will be minor little fights.

Also, most of you were partly right about who was returning in this chapter. But only SOLDIER-MS was only one to guess right. The Druggies and my coffee-drinking commander, John. Needless to say, Shinn's reaction to the Druggies will be amusing.

**Phase Three: Warning Shots**

The Minerva's Bridge

"Pressurization normal. FCS, contact. All stations normal ma'am." Arthur said.

"Scan for the enemy and our machines." Talia ordered.

"Single unidentified ship at Indigo 53, Mark 22, Bravo. Distance: 150." the radar operator reported.

"That must be their mothership." Durandal commented.

"Input it's data into the database. From now on, we'll refer to it as Bogey-1." Talia said.

"Ma'am! I've found the Impulse and the ZAKUs." Meyrin called out. "Sector 157, Mark 80, Alpha. They appear to be in a battle."

Talia turned to the girl. "Can you contact them?"

"Negative. Radio interference is too severe."

"How many opponents?"

"Just one. But it's a mobile armor."

"Deploy the GuAIZs." Talia ordered. "Tell them to move to support the Impulse and the ZAKUs. And if need be, cover their withdraw to the Minerva."

* * *

"Captain Gladys has ordered you to launch and support the Impulse and the ZAKUs." Meyrin said over the comm.

"It's about damn time." Gekido growled as his GuAIZ mounted the catapult. "And of course we're bailing out Asuka. You'd think that since they decided to give him the Impulse, he wouldn't need grunts like us to bail him out."

"Yeah. The Reds always get the glory while we Greens end up spilling our blood so they get their glory." Shawn added as his mobile suit was loaded on to the second catapult.

"Knock it off, you two." Tristan said with a sigh. "Besides, if we do end up saving Asuka's butt, he'll have to live with the fact that he owes us one."

The four Green Coats laughed as the catapult doors opened.

"Gekido Jaeger. GuAIZ R taking off."

"Shawn Anderson. GuAIZ R launching."

The first two GuAIZs took off, heading for their comrades, quickly followed the remaining two. "Alright guys, let's go kick some ass." Gekido said.

* * *

"The GuAIZs have been launched ma'am." Meyrin said.

Talia nodded. "We will engage Bogey-1. Lower the bridge."

The bridge started to drop down, where it would shielded behind the armor of the ship's hull. "Maintain course Indigo Delta. Accelerate twenty percent." she ordered. "Prepare to fire signal flares and anti-beam depth-charges." Talia turned to her XO. "Arthur, what are you waiting for?!"

Her voice knocked Arthur out of his daze. "Ah... yes ma'am." he said, heading for his console. He quickly sat down, his fingers dancing across the console. "Launcher Eight. Load missile tubes 1 through 4 with Neidhart missiles. Activate Tristans 1 and 2. Activate Isolde. Target: Bogey-1."

* * *

Neo pressed his attack, his gunbarrels firing on the Impulse and the two ZAKUs. The ZAFT pilots struggled to evade the beams coming from seemingly everywhere. Shinn twisted, narrowly avoiding a barrage of beams. But a single beam gazed the Impulse's ankle. Shinn cursed as he continued to struggle against the beams. "This guys hitting us from everywhere."

"Calm down Shinn." Rey said as he fired his rifle at a pod, but missed. "If you lose your focus, he'll shoot you down."

"Yeah. This guy's different from most of those other pilots." Suiren added. "Losing your focus right now is a death sentence."

Suddenly, Neo found himself under fire. Four GuAIZ Rs appeared, firing their beam rifles on the Exus. Neo expertly piloted his mobile armor through the beams. He glanced at the newcomers. Not only that, he saw the new ZAFT warship heading for the Girty Lue. "We don't want to lose what we already have by being too greedy." Neo commented as he recalled his gunbarrels.

Once his weapons had docked back onto the Exus, Neo took off, heading back to his ship. As he fled, the Minerva fired off it's signal flares, ordering the mobile suits to return. "Come on. Let's head back." Suiren said.

Gekido grunted. "Figures. The second we get here and save our asses, we get recalled."

"Hey. We didn't need your help." Shinn shot back.

Shinn and Gekido were on the best of terms. The two had frequently butted heads at the Academy. And in one case, literally. Their graduation and assignment to the Minerva hadn't changed things at all.

"Knock it off, both of you!" Suiren yelled, stopping any possible fight in it's tracks. "This isn't the time or the place to pick a fight, Gekido Jaeger. And we needed their help, so show a little gratitude Shinn. Unless of course, both of you would like to sit out the next couple of sorties."

Both pilots grumbled.

"Excuse me. What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Thank you for your help." Shinn said with forced politeness.

"Sorry for trying to pick a fight with you." Gekido grunted.

"There. Now let's head back before the three of us start running out power." she said, taking off for the Minerva.

As they traveled back to the Minerva, Shawn made a whip cracking sound over the comm. He, Dale, Tristan, and Suiren all started to fight back laughter. Even Rey struggled to fight back a chuckle.

* * *

The Minerva fired it's missiles at the Girty Lue. The Earth ship countered by taking an evasive maneuver and firing it's CIWS guns, taking out the missiles that the Girty Lue couldn't evade. "Target it's engines. Fire!" Talia ordered.

The Minerva's Isolde triple cannon fired, narrowly missing the Girty Lue. A moment later, the Exus landed in the Girty Lue's hanger. "Withdraw now Lee!" Neo shouted.

The Girty Lue took off, heading away from the PLANTs. "Bogey-1 retreating ma'am." the Minerva's radar operator said. "Yellow 71, Alpha."

"What's the status of our machines?" Talia asked.

"They're returning now ma'am." Meyrin answered.

"Tell them to hurry. We need to continue pursing Bogey-1." the Captain said. "Set course heading: Yellow Alpha."

Aboard the Girty Lue, Neo entered the ship's bridge as the Minerva fired it's cannons at them. The ship shock from the force of the near impacts. "Captain! Enemy ship still approaching. Blue 0. Distance: 110." an officer reported.

"That ship is quite fast." Lee commented. "It could give us a lot of trouble."

The Minerva fired another spread of missile at them. "Incoming missiles!"

"Hard to port! Dodge it!" Lee ordered.

The ship turned to port, firing it's CIWS. Shooting down the missiles dangerously close to the ship. "Detach side propellant tanks! Prepare to detonate them!" Neo ordered. "Detach the whole arm assembly! Let them get a taste of that! Meanwhile, rise bow 35 degrees, port 10 degrees! Engines at maximum!"

The Girty Lue rose to port, evading another barrage from the Minerva's guns. As it moved, it detached it's propellant tanks. The tanks floated back, towards the Minerva, surprising it's crew. Save for Talia. She had an idea on what those were and wasn't going to take a chance. "Cease fire!" Talia shouted. "Starboard 10 degrees! Engines at maximum!"

The tanks neared the Minerva when they exploded. Fortunately, they were far enough away and the Minerva's hull was strong to safely weather the two explosions. Though the ship shook violently from the force of the two explosions. "Burt! What's the position of the enemy ship?"

"Just a moment ma'am."

Activate CIWS. Fire anti-beam depth charges." Talia ordered.

"Found them! Red 88, Mark 6, Charlie! Distance: 500." the radar officer reported.

Arthur glanced back. "They got away?"

Talia scowled. "The nerve of them. Escaping like that."

"We seem to be facing a first-class unit." Durandal commented.

Talia turned her chair to face the Chairman. "All the more reason we cannot allow them to escape." she said. "We've passed the point where you can disembark, but I believe that we should continue our pursuit of that ship. What are you thoughts, Chairman?"

"Please. Do not concern yourself with me, Captain." he answered. "If we where to neglect these embers, imagine the inferno they could become. Frankly, the thought frightens me. It's our duty to recapture those machines, or failing that, destroy them."

Talia nodded her head. "Thank you." She turned to the radar operator. "Do we still have a trace on them?"

"Yes ma'am."

"In that case, this ship will now continue it's pursuit of Bogey-1. Course Yellow Alpha. Engines at maximum."

* * *

Elsewhere, two men watched the distant flashes of the space battle from aboard the bridge of a ship. "Captain. Detecting two unidentified warships leaving ZAFT territory. One appears to be pursuing the other." an officer of the ship reported.

"It's seems that ZAFT has been attacked. Send word of this to Terminal." the first man said. "Undoubtedly, the unidentified ship in pursuit of the other, is a ZAFT ship."

"What of Lady Cagalli? Do think she has gotten involved in this?" the second man asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Knowing her, yes. We better set course for that ZAFT ship. And have the mobile suits prepped, just in case."

* * *

The Girty Lue

A Short While Later

"You idiot!" Treize shouted, slamming Auel against a wall. "You used Stella's block word without authorization."

"If I didn't, she wouldn't have stopped fighting that white one!" Auel yelled back.

Treize threw him to the ground and put his foot to Auel's throat. "Do something like that again, I'll be sending your head back home to your _mother_."

Auel started screaming and thrashing the instant he said the block word. Treize stepped off him as several of the doctors rush to pick up Auel and take him to their lab. They carried him to their lab as he entered the lab for his generation of Extended. Mariemaia, Rezin, Reccoa and Gyunei were already there, replacing the drug cartridges of their implants. Mariemaia instantly rushed to him and hugged him. "Hey big brother!"

Treize barely tolerated her affection. They weren't blood related, despite her claims. Though they been in the same test group as they went through the Extended process. Most of his memories of that time were foggy, disjointed and unclear. But he knew that her young mind had been fractured in process. To survive, she had clung to him, declaring him her older brother.

"Aw... Isn't that sweet." Gyunei mocked.

"Shut up Gyunei. Before I shall remove your tongue." Treize threatened.

"Like you could defeat me."

He despised Gyunei. He was an arrogant little punk. Gyunei believed that he was superior and should have been in command. Not him. Maia broke her hug, allowing him to approach Gyunei. He walked towards Gyunei, looming over the younger teen. In one shift motion, he grabbed Gyunei by the throat and slammed him on the ground. "How many times have we done this? Every time you've lost Gyunei."

Gyunei grunted.

"Still you persist with this constant, pointless struggle to see who is superior. When the answer is and always has been the same." Treize said. "You will always be inferior to me. Like an animal grasping at the full moon, you will never reach me. No matter how desperately you grasp, I am beyond you."

Gyunei let out a snarl. "No! I am strongest Extended ever created! You are inferior to me!"

"03 Omega Red."

Just as with Auel, Gyunei started screaming and flailing around in agony. Treize turned to one of the doctors. "My drugs."

"Here you are." the man replied, handing him a cartridge.

Treize pulled off his shirt and replaced the near empty cartridge from his injector and replaced it with a fresh one. Without even glancing, he left the room, heading for his quarters to change into his uniform.

* * *

Captain's Quarters

The Minerva

A Hour and a Half Later

"Words cannot express my regret, that you were caught up in these events, however, I would like you to please understand our situation." Chairman Durandal said.

Sitting across from him, Cagalli nodded. Her two attendants standing at her side. "Have you been able to find anything about that enemy unit?" she asked.

"Actually we haven't." Gilbert admitted. "Nor do we have any leads on the carrier ship as well. Which is why we must take control of the situation as soon as possible. Before it become irreversible."

"Yes, I understand. That goes without saying, Chairman Durandal. Right now we can't do anything that would disrupt our fragile world." Cagalli said, bowing her head.

"Thank you Princess. I had believed that you would feel the same way." Durandal said before he stood up. "If you would like, please allow me to give you a tour of the ship."

"Chairman-"

Durandal waved Captain Gladys off. "It may be temporary, but they are putting their lives in our hands. I'm merely offering a gesture of good faith from our country to a sworn friend."

Suddenly, the room's intercom panel started to beep. Gladys pushed a button and Arthur's face voice came through. "Captain! An Izumo-class battleship is approaching."

"What? What is an Orb warship doing out here?" she asked.

"Unknown ma'am. They're hailing us."

"Patch it through to this room."

The bridge of the Izumo class battleship appeared on the screen. "Greetings. I am Captain Vincent Toth of the Orb Izumo-class ship, the Susanoo. We were pursing a band of pirates that had been harassing Orb interests when we detected your battle. We are aware that Chief Representative Athha was visiting the PLANTs. We wish to know if you have any information on the whereabouts and wellbeing of our Chief Representative."

"She and her attendants are-"

"Captain Toth!" Cagalli yelled, moving in front of the screen. "Why are you here?! I told the rest of the government that I would visit the PLANTs without any military escort."

"With respect ma'am, Commander Alaric felt that there should be someone around just in case something happened."

Cagalli let out an annoyed sigh. "Of course. Where is he?"

"Currently, he's in the cockpit of his mobile suit."

"Let me talk to him."

"Yes ma'am."

The screen changed. Now it displayed John Alaric, in his old black ZAFT flightsuit and his helmet on his lap, sitting in the cockpit of the Farsight II. "Ma'am." he said with a nod.

"I told that I didn't want any additional protection."

"I know ma'am. But I felt that it was better to be safe than sorry." John said. "And it looks like I was right. Now we can take you back-"

"No. I'm staying."

"Very well then. At the moment, it would be better if the Susanoo did not accompany this vessel. As the Alliance would very displeased if they learned that Orb was lending military power to ZAFT." John said. "However, I request that my team as well as Miss Alster's mobile suit, be transferred over to the ZAFT vessel as your bodyguards, Lady Cagalli. There will be little reason to complain about a small team being sent to protect the leader of our nation. Of course, I guarantee that my small team is a match for anyone on board that ship."

"Wait. You're not talking about _them_?"

"Of course."

She sighed. "Fine. So long as they accept your assistance." Cagalli said, turning to the Chairman.

"I have no objections." Durandal said. "Any assistance that you prove would be greatly appreciated. Do you have any, Captain?"

"No. But allow my hanger crew some time to clear up some space for your mobile suits."

"Alright then, prepare your hanger to receive five mobile suits." John said, closing the channel.

"Arthur." Talia said, switching the channel. "Inform the hanger that we're receiving five mobile suits from the Orb warship."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

The Susanoo's Mobile Suit Hanger

"Alright. I'll launch first. Afterwords, launch the Strike Raven. I'll carry it to the ship. Then you guys launch." John said, putting his helmet on and powering up the Farsight.

The Farsight II stepped onto the catapult. "John Alaric, Farsight taking off."

The catapult launched the mobile suit into space. A few minutes later, the Strike Raven was loaded onto the catapult. "Launching the Strike Raven."

The mobile suit was launched and John caught it with ease. Then one by one, the three members of his team launched. Then the mobile suits took off for the Minerva.

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

"Athha from Orb?"

Luna nodded. "Yeah. I was surprised too. What are the odds of meeting a big hero from the last war out here?"

Shinn didn't say anything. "What's wrong Shinn? Is it that ZAKU?" Luna asked, gesturing to the green ZAKU behind her.

"No. Nothing's wrong." Shinn replied. "I was just wondering who's ZAKU that is, since it's not one of the Minerva's."

"It was her bodyguard. He said his name was Alex." Luna said before she leaned in close to him. "But, he might be Athrun. Athrun Zala. I heard her call him that in the heat of the moment." She glanced back at the ZAKU. "It would make sense. I heard he moved to Orb after the war."

"The first two mobile suits are in Catapult 2. Pressurizing airlock now." a voice said over the hanger intercom.

Moments later, the doors to the catapult opened and the Farsight, carrying the Strike Raven in front of it, entered the hanger.

"That's...That's Farsight! John Alaric's mobile suit!" Lunamaria said, her eyes filled with shock and excitement. "The legendary Black Hawk! I never thought I'd actually get to meet him!"

"A third mobile suit has entered Catapult 3. Pressurizing airlock now."

"I wonder if the next mobile suit belongs to the Desert Tiger." Lunamaria said. "Wouldn't that be amazing, Shinn? Fighting alongside such legendary aces as the Black Hawk and the Desert Tiger."

"I don't know." Shinn said. "Does it really matter?"

The airlock door opened, revealing...

...the GAT-X252 Forbidden.

Shinn's face immediately changed from indifference to shock.

"Whoa..." Lunamaria said. "I've never seen a mobile suit like that before. It must be a new model."

Lunamaria pushed off her ZAKU, heading for the Farsight.

Unlike Lunamaria, Shinn had that mobile suit before. It was one of the mobile suits that had ravaged Orb when the Earth Forces invaded. To his horror, the Forbidden was soon joined by two of it's cohorts, the GAT-X131 Calamity and GAT-X370 Raider. Only the GAT-X151 Massacre was missing. To Shinn, those mobile suits were the embodiments of death. The Forbidden, slicing through waves of people with it's monstrous scythe. Raider, striking from the air like a wicked predator upon the defenseless. The Calamity, spewing fiery death from it's many cannons upon the innocent. By the time the three mobile suits had been secured and their pilots exited the cockpits, the shock had worn off and Shina was angry...No. Furious. What the hell was Orb doing with those monstrous machines?!

Shinn pushed off Lunamaria's ZAKU and headed towards the pilots of those three machines.

Elsewhere, John climbed out of his mobile suit and reached the hanger floor. Suiren and Luna where there to greet him. Both girls saluted him and John returned the salute. "Commander John Alaric of Orb."

"Suiren Kyusai."

"Lunamaria Hawke. Commander Alaric, it's an honor to meet a living legend like yourself. I hope you don't mind if I ask you for your autograph."

John chuckled. "A living legend? I don't know about that. But I will give you an autograph later." he replied. "Now, who is the commander of this ship's mobile suit complement?"

"That would be me." Suiren answered.

"Then we have much to discuss before the next sortie."

"I imagine we do."

* * *

"What the hell is Orb doing with those machines?!" Shinn shouted as he reached the trio. "And what the hell are Orb pilots doing in these machines?! Don't you know what these things have done?!"

"What the hell are you yelling about?" the first pilot said, taking off his helmet, revealing his olive green hair and blue eyes. "We've had these machines since they were built."

Shinn froze for a moment, realizing what he just said. "YOU BASTARDS!!!" Shinn screamed as he grabbed the pilot's black and light blue flightsuit. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT THEY'RE DEAD!!!"

"What the hell?!! Let go of me!" Orga shouted just before Shinn punched his face.

"Hey buddy, if you wanna fight, then you got it!" Clotho said, grabbing Shinn in a headlock.

Shinn elbowed him in the gut a couple of times, causing him to let go. Orga punched Shinn in the gut, knocking back Shinn. Then Shani tackled Shinn and punched him in the face. But at that moment, a couple members of the hanger crews rushed to help Shinn. One grabbed Shani from behind, pinning his arms. Shani headbutted the man, breaking his nose and his grip. Another crew member lunged at Clotho with a metal hand tool. The red haired pilot caught the man's arm and in one quick motion, knocked the makeshift weapon from his hand.

"Shani! Clotho! Orga! That's enough!" John Alaric shouted.

"All of you stand down!" Suiren yelled out as well.

"Hey! Don't yell at us! This kid started it!" Clotho said, gesturing at Shinn.

John turned to Shinn. "Well?"

"How can Orb just let these bastards live after all they did?!" Shinn demanded. "After all the people they killed?!"

"Jeez kid, do you only come in loud and louder?" John said, rubbing an ear.

Shinn scowled at him. "Alright, alright. Stop with the death glare. It's a rather long story. The short version is, they have no other purpose but to pilot these machines. So when we captured them, we rehabilitated them and put them to use for Orb. To redeem themselves of at least some of the pain and destruction they brought to Orb. As well as the pain and suffering they endured." John said. "They're harmless unless provoked. Most of the time."

"There is no way they can pay what they've done." Shinn shot back.

John stared at him for a moment. "You're from Orb, aren't you?"

"What if I am?"

"Nothing." John answered. "It really doesn't matter. Now if you excuse us, I need some coffee. Shani, Clotho, Orga, come on, we're leaving. Miss Suiren, if you'd be so kind as to find me once you are done with your duties, we have a lot to discuss."

The four took off, leaving the hanger. Shinn stood there, squeezing his fists to the point that his fingers cut into his palms, drawing blood. "Shinn, I don't know what your problem is with those guys." Suiren said. "But if you wish to keep on piloting, I suggest you stow it."

Shinn glared at her. "Is that an order, ma'am?"

"Yes."

* * *

Elsewhere

The elevator doors, Chairman Durandal, Cagalli, Rey and Athrun exited while Flay stayed behind. Durandal turned around. "Are you not coming, Miss Allster?"

"No. I just want to check over my machine." Flay answered.

"Very well then. If you need a hand, don't be afraid to ask someone for help."

Flay bowed. "Thank you." she said before hitting the down button on the panel.

Durandal cleared his throat as he moved towards the edge of the catwalk overlooking the hanger. "The ZGMF-1000 ZAKU. As you are already aware, it's currently the backbone of ZAFT's mobile suit forces." he explained. "And then we have the Minerva's most distinguishing feature, the ZGMF-X56S Impulse and it's launching system. According to our engineers, this is the newest, most efficient mobile suit system. Although personally, I don't quite understand such technical matters." He paused, taking note of Cagalli's expression. "I take it that you don't much care for it, Princess."

"Well, you certainly seem happy about it, Chairman." she replied.

"Happy isn't the word I would use. My feelings stem from the thought of how hard everyone has worked. To come so far from such chaos and to gain such strength."

"Such strength. You said strength was necessary because there would always be conflict."

"Yes."

"Then how do you rationalize what's happen?" Cagalli asked. "The damage your country and it's people have suffered, is due to the presence of those new mobile suits."

"So then you are saying that we should not seek to acquire power?"

"Why is it necessary in the first place? Especially now!" Cagalli said. "We swore not to repeat the tragedies of the past. We were committed to a path that we could all walk together!"

"True Princess. But-"

"Making excuses has been a specialty of the Athhas!" a voice called out, interrupting the Chairman.

Everyone turned to source of the voice. "Shinn." Rey said, jumping down to hanger.

Shinn glanced over his shoulder, glaring at Cagalli. But before anyone could say anything, alarms went off.

* * *

Crew Lounge

Shani, Clotho and Orga were off in their own little worlds, relaxing. Orga was laid out on a couch, reading his latest paperback novel. Clotho was sitting on chair, playing his latest video game for his handheld system. And Shani was also sitting, listening to his music, his head bobbing up and down with the music. John was leaning on a wall, attempting to drink the crap in a can they called coffee.

John took a sip and winced. _'You'd think that with all they've put into this new warship, they'd be able to stock it with some decent coffee.'_

Meyrin entered the lounge. "Oh. You must be the pilots from the Orb that transferred over." she said. "I'm Meyrin Hawke."

Only John acknowledged her. Shani, Clotho and Orga remained obvious to the girl. "Hawke?" John said with a chuckle. "Well Miss Hawke, I'm the Black Hawk. John Alaric. You'll have to forgive Shani, Clotho and Orga. They're not exactly the most sociable of people."

Meyrin took note of their clothes. John wore an Orb uniform with a black, leather trenchcoat over top. The others however, where a bit different. The one reading the book wore an Orb uniform without any sleeves and dark shirt underneath the uniform. The red head's uniform was open and it's sleeves had been trimmed. Making it look like a short sleeved vest over a red t-shirt. The last one had ripped knees on his pants and his coat was open, revealing an orange t-shirt underneath. It was odd seeing soldiers wearing uniforms that clearly violated military regulations.

"Hello John...Wait!...The Black Hawk?! You're the Black Hawk?!"

"Yes. Do you want my autograph as well?"

"No. My sister's a big fan though." she said.

"Lunamaria? I know. The second I set foot on the ship, she asked for my autograph."

"Sorry about that."

John waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. Though it's not-"

"Enemy ship sighted. Distance: 8000." a voice over the intercom interrupted.

* * *

"Enemy ship sighted. Distance: 8000. Condition Red. All hands to your stations. All pilots are to stand by in their units."

Gekido cursed as he threw his cards on the table. "Is this going to happen every time I'm winning?"

"Looks like." Dale said, standing up. "Guess you're just unlucky that way."

"Come on. We got to get to our machines." Shawn said. "Can't let the Reds and those pilots from Orb get all the action."

"Knowing our luck, we'll be the last to deploy and stuck supporting the Minerva." Tristan added as they headed to the hanger.

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

A Short While Later

All of the mobile suit had quickly suited up and boarded their machines. Suiren looked around at their force of mobile suits. Hopefully, it'd be enough to deal with the stolen prototypes and whatever else Bogey-1 had. "Commander Alaric." Suiren said, powering up her ZAKU. "I'm going to temporarily relinquish command of the mobile suit team to you. If you're okay with it."

"Hey! He's not a ZAFT Commander anymore. Why should he be in command?" Shinn argued.

"I would believe it's because I have the most experience here. I have fought more battles than anyone else here. In fact, I believe that the Academy still teaches some of my tactics. So, why wouldn't I be in command? Are you really that uncomfortable with me in command? Or is that you're uncomfortable with the fact that you'll be fighting alongside those three."

Shinn didn't reply.

"Now, Suiren, you and the other ZAKUs will remain behind with the Minerva and protect it should they try to ambush it as we engage the enemy ship."

Suiren nodded. "Roger."

"Shani, Clotho, Orga, Flay, the GuAIZ team, and you, Mr. Anger Issues, will come with me. We'll head out and hunt down the warship. Shani, Clotho and Orga will take point and I'll take the rear."

"I thought Commanders were suppose to _lead_ their forces into battle, not bring up the rear."

"True. But let me point this out. The Raider, the Calamity and the Forbidden, all have Trans Phase Armor. Which can take more of a pounding than any of the other machines here. So why not have them in front? Don't you want them to die anyway? As to why I'm in the rear, it's because it would be better that I function as a sniper in this battle. As there's a lot of debris out there that they can hide behind and ambush us with. So I'm going to try to spot them before they can ambush us. So shut up and get ready. They're waiting for us. They'll likely doing to try to cut us off from the Minerva."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, if I was their Commander, I would draw the bulk of the mobile suits from the Minerva, and then attack. The question is, who will they target, us or the Minerva?"

The Strike Raven and the Farsight were loaded on to the catapults. "John Alaric. Farsight launching."

"Flay Allster. Strike Raven, taking off."

The two mobile suits were launched into space as the Calamity and the Raider were loaded into position. John opened a private channel to the Calamity, the Forbidden and the the Raider. "Hey, you guys ready for this? It's been quite some time since you've fought in combat."

"Yeah yeah. We're ready." Orga said.

Clotho nodded. "Yeah. Let's kick some ass!"

Shani just grunted.

"What about you Flay? This is your first time in combat."

"No it's not." Flay replied as the next two mobile suits launched.

"Right. First time in combat, in a mobile suit."

"I'll be fine. You taught me well."

John chuckled as the remaining mobile suits launched. "If only he could see you now. You've come along way from that little girl."

At that moment, the Impulse's Core Splendor was launched, followed by the Blast Silhouette, the Chest Flyer and Leg Flyer. The four components assembled, creating the Blast Impulse.

"Alright everyone, listen up." John said to the assembled pilots. "Bogey-1 has entered the Debris Field. There's places to hid in there. Also, they know we are after them and they will set a trap for us. So keep your guard up and your fingers on the trigger. Good luck out there."

* * *

The Minerva's Bridge

Durandal, Cagalli and Athrun stepped onto the bridge. Talia glanced over her shoulder at the group. "Chairman?"

"Ah Captain. Can I ask a favor of you? I would like to have our guests from Orb on bridge as well. Will you allow it?"

"Ah... But that's-"

"As you know, the Representative commanded a ship in the last war and has fought in many battles." Durandal explained. "I would like to have her perspective of our combat methods."

"I understand. If that's how you feel Chairman." Talia said.

"Thank you Talia."

The three took their seats. "Distance to target: 6000." an officer reported.

"Lower the brigde." Talia ordered. "Prepare for anti-ship and anti-mobile suit combat."

The bridge dropped down into combat position. "Ma'am. The Impulse, the GuAIZs and Orb mobile suits have launched and moving to intercept Bogey-1. Suiren, Rey and Luna are remaining on board for defense." Meyrin said.

"Bogey-1. I wonder what the real name of that ship is." Durandal mused. "A name reflects it's owner's nature. But what if the name is really a fake? If something goes by a false name, does that mean that thing is fake? False by nature? It that what it would mean?" He turned to Athrun. "Alex? Or is it Athrun Zala?"

* * *

And done. Those who want to see Druggie vs Extended, the next chapter will have that. Though I did find a Youtube video called 'Orga, Clotho and Shani VS. Sting, Auel and Stellar' which as it's name implies, what such a fight would look like using clips from SEED and Destiny. It's worth a viewing.

As always, review!


	5. Phase Four: Stardust Battlefield

Yo everybody! Sorry for taking so long. My grandmother was visiting last week, so I didn't have much chance to work on this chapter. Though the next chapter should be up sooner than these last couple of ones, just because it's Break the World and that's one of my favorite parts of Destiny. So I'll work on that much quicker than this one.

Oh and Exia00, Gyunei is your OC. As I said before, there were changes I needed to make that I can't really say here.

Also, the last chapter had a number of people putting this story in their alerts and favorites without reviewing. As I've said numerous times, if you do that, at least have the decency to leave a review.

Finally, the next chapter will have the return of Yzak, Dearka, Shiho and the 11th Fleet.

**Phase Four: Stardust Battlefield**

The Debris Field

The Specter, the Abyss, the Gaia, the Chaos and the Strike Noir, took up positions amongst the debris. The Blu Duel, Verde Buster and Rosso Aegis were staying behind with the Girty Lue to ambush the ZAFT ship. The Girty Lue had also deployed a decoy that would lure them to their position and leave them unaware of the trap they were walking into. Treize, in an ideal sniper spot, took aim at the advancing ZAFT mobile suits. He had the hanger crew of the Girty Lue temporarily replace the Specter's cannon with a beam sniper rifle. A weapon better suited to picking off mobile suits from a distance than the cannon. In addition to the rifle, he had changed the colors of the Specter's phase shift. To something, much more suitable. When he spotted the group, he was surprised by what he saw.

"The Calamity, the Forbidden and the Raider are amongst the ZAFT forces." Treize said.

"What?! Is it them?!" Sting asked.

"Unlikely. They would have died long ago with their drugs. Either way, watch out." Treize ordered, taking aim at the group. "Don't attack until I fire."

* * *

The Bridge of the Minerva

"Bogey-1. I wonder what the real name of that ship is." Durandal mused. "A name reflects it's owner's nature. But what if the name is really a fake? If something goes by a false name, does that mean that thing is fake? False by nature? It that what it would mean?" He turned to Athrun. "Alex? Or is it Athrun Zala?"

Everyone else on the bridge gasped. Athrun Zala? The son of deceased former Supreme Council Chairman Patrick Zala. A hero of the Bloody Valentine War. Cagalli scowled at the Chairman as orders were being given on the bridge. "Chairman Durandal, that's-"

"There's no need to worry, Representative Athha." Durandal assured. "I did not mean to accuse him of anything. I'm already fully aware of the actions taken by my predecessor, Eileen Canaver, against you and the others. However, if we are to talk, I'd like to talk with the real you, Athrun Zala."

"Mobile suits 1400 to Bogey-1." Burt reported.

"Has Bogey-1 made any sudden movements? Any changes in their bearings?" Talia asked.

The operator shook her head. "No ma'am. They're still traveling on the same course."

"What's going on here? Do they have something planned?" the Captain said aloud.

An instant later, both she and Athrun realized it. "It's a decoy!" the two shouted together.

* * *

John scanned the debris in front of them. He couldn't see anything yet. But he didn't doubt that they were out there. He glanced at his radar. They were nearing the unidentified battleship. They'd probably be able to see it soon.

There was nothing to indicate that they had spotted them yet. Which wasn't uncommon in the Debris Field. Both pirates and his former forces had used the Field for ambushes because one could easily hide out here. They easily could be preparing an ambush for them. He kept his eyes on the area around them, searching for anything. Any sign of danger. Suddenly, he saw it. A flash. "Sniper! Scatter!!"

Treize grinned. "For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" Treize roared as he fired.

The group scattered. Avoiding the first two beams, but the third tore through Dale's GuAIZ R, destroying the machine. "Dale! No!" Tristan shouted.

At that moment, the Gaia, the Abyss, the Chaos and the Strike Noir emerged from their hiding spots, firing on the remaining pilots while the sniper continued to fire. "Damn!" John swore. "We walked right into this." One of Treize's beams narrowly missed the Farsight. "Oh? You think that you're a better shot than me?" John said, taking aim at the area were the sniper was firing at. "There's a reason why this mobile suit is armed with a sniper rifle!"

Treize noticed the black and white mobile suit taking aim at the area he was in. There was no way it could accurately hit him at this distance. The mobile suit fired and to Treize's surprise, the beam was heading straight for him. Treize dove out of the way just in time. The beam struck a piece of debris behind here his mobile suit's head had been. "You wish to play, Coordinator? Fine, I'll play." Treize said, taking aim and firing at the enemy mobile suit.

The Chaos's pods launched and started firing on the Raider, Forbidden and Calamity as the Abyss fired on the trio while the Gaia and Strike Noir descended on the Impulse, the Strike Raven, and the GuAIZ Rs. Stella fired her rifle at the Strike Raven. Flay sidestepped the beams and fired back her beam rifle and railguns. The Gaia jumped back, firing as she flew back into wreckage of a colony. Flay chased after her. "Hold on." Tristan called out, chasing after her. "A lady shouldn't go into the unknown unescorted."

Flay nodded and the two dove into the wreckage.

The Strike Noir fired both of it's beam rifles at the Impulse, Maia laughing as she fired. "Come on! Let's dance Coordinator!"

The Impulse flew up, evading the beams while firing back with his cannons. The Extended spun, allowing her machine to squeeze through inbetween the beams before firing the grenade of her left rifle. Shinn fired one of his railguns, piercing the grenade and the rifle. "Yes yes yes! Finally, a suitable dance partner!" Maia cheered, drawing one of her beam blades. "Let's give them a real performance!"

"Gah! Tricky bastards!" Orga shouted, trying to destroy the Chaos's weapon pods.

Annoyed at his inability to hit the pods, Orga turned an fired his Schlag and Scylla cannons at the Chaos. The Chaos dove out of the path of the beams. The beams flew towards the Forbidden. But the beams bounced off of the Forbidden's shields and headed towards the Raider and the Abyss. Clotho instinctively dodged the beams while the Abyss barely managed to avoid the beams.

"Shani! You bastard! You almost hit me!!" Clotho shouted, firing his spherical breaker at the Forbidden.

The Forbidden dodged the incoming hammer. But the Chaos wasn't so lucky. The hammer slammed into the Chaos, tossing it back. "Are these guys insane?!" exclaimed Sting as he righted the Chaos. "They're attacking each other!"

Shani roared as he swung his scythe at the Chaos. Sting raised his shield just in time. The shield was shredded by the scythe. Sting dropped the wrecked shield and drew a beam saber. "Crazy bastard!" Sting shouted, swinging the saber. "You're obsolete!"

Shani laughed as he continued to swing his scythe wildly at the Chaos. Preventing Sting from getting close enough to hit the Forbidden. "Dammit! Take this!" Sting shouted, launching his pods again.

The pod's beams were again deflected by the Forbidden's deflector shields. But this was what Sting wanted. He moved in close to the Forbidden, intending to stab the Forbidden as it raised it's pack up. Suddenly, the Raider's spherical breaker slammed into the Chaos's back, knocking it downward. "Hmph. These punks ain't so tough." Clotho commented as he pulled back his weapon.

"Treize! Where the hell is our covering fire?!" Sting shouted as he pulled himself up.

"Didn't you just say those guys were obsolete?" Treize said as he continued his sniper duel with the Farsight. "You should be able to beat them with ease."

* * *

The Bridge of the Minerva

"Captain! We've lost Bogey-1's signal!" exclaimed Burt.

"I've also lost the signal from Dale's unit!" Meyrin added. "Also four-no fix heat signals at Yellow 60, Beta! It's the Specter, Chaos, Gaia, Abyss and one unknown!"

"Locate the enemy! Locate Bogey-1 immediately!" Talia ordered.

She was no fool. The Commander of Bogey-1 knew that they were following them and had left a decoy for them to follow. Undoubtedly, the real Bogey-1 was moving to ambush them while they were struggling to figure out what was going on.

* * *

Aboard the Girty Lue

Neo smirked. They had caught the ZAFT ship completely off guard. It was time to deliver the killing blow. He raised his hand. Captain Lee nodded. "Launch the mobile suits." the Captain ordered. "Start the engines and fire missile tubes Five through Eight. Target the enemy battleship with the Gottfrieds."

* * *

"Heat signature detected at Blue 18 Mark 9, Charlie!" Burt turned to Talia. "It's Bogey-1. Distance: 500."

Arthur glanced back from his station. "What? But how?"

"Three mobile suits incoming as well!

"On screen." Talia ordered.

A trio of mobile suits appeared on the screen. Athrun's and Cagalli's eyes widened. "That's the Aegis, the Duel and the Buster..." a surprised Athrun said.

"Undoubtedly, new units based off the original GAT series units." Durandal commented.

"Captain! We're being targeted by Bogey-1!"

"Fire anti-beam depth charges! Turn 30 degrees to port! Target with the Tristan!" Talia said as Bogey-1 fired a spread of missiles.

"We can't, ma'am! Mobile suits at Orange 22, Delta." the radar operator reported.

Talia grit her teeth in frustration. "Engines to maximum. Go around the asteroid. Use it as a shield."

The helmsman turned the ship as hard as he could. Practically hugging the asteroid. The missiles hit the rock. The force of the explosions shaking the Minerva.

Talia turned to Meyrin. "Meyrin, order Shinn and the others to return to the ship at once." she ordered. "Prepare all remaining units for launch as well." Then she turned to helmsman. "Malik, continue to use the asteroid's surface to avoid further fire." Finally, she turned to her XO. "Arthur, prepare to return fire."

"Launcher Five, Launcher Ten; Dispars, fire!" Arthur said as the ship continued to shake from the missed shots of Bogey-1.

* * *

John swore as he searched for the Specter. He had lost sight of his opponent among the debris. He was better than this. He should have been able to keep his opponent in sight. Clearly, his skills had dulled more than he thought.

At that moment, a text message appeared on his console. The Minerva was under attack. As he thought. A two pronged attack. One force to draw out and engage their forces while the other force ambushes the Minerva. "Listen up everyone, the Minerva's under attack." John said over the comm. "But we can't do anything to help them until we beat these guys. Stay focused on the enemy here. Not on the Minerva."

Elsewhere, Flay and Tristan slowly moved through a large corridor of the wrecked colony, searching for the Gaia. Directly ahead of them was a four-way intersection. The path on the right was gone, leaving a out in space. Both the left corridor and the corridor ahead of them were cast into darkness. "I'll look left. You look right." Tristan said.

Flay nodded. "Got it."

Both spun as they entered the center of the intersection, facing the side paths. Both quickly scanned the area before them, expecting an ambush. But there was nothing.

Suddenly, the glow of the Gaia's two beam blades lit up the hallway ahead of them. The Gaia, in it's mobile armor mode, lunged forward. "Look out!" Flay shouted, diving out the hole.

At the same time, Tristan dove into the opposite corridor. Stella glanced at both directions for a moment before leaping out the hole after Flay. She transformed the Gaia back and fired her rifle.

Flay spun around, block her first few shots with her shield before returning fire with her rifle, railguns and machineguns. Stella dove down, evading her shots. Suddenly, Tristan appeared behind Stella with his beam saber drawn. Stella spun around, blocking the saber with her shield before she kicked the GuAIZ in the chest.

* * *

Rezin grinned as she combined her rifles. Below her, the Minerva traveled through a shallow canyon in the asteroid, desperately firing it's weapons at her and her teammates. It was time for her to do what she did best. "Bang."

The Verde Buster's beam cannon, gun launcher, rifles and missiles fired. A few of the missiles impacted the ship's hull, but the rest of her shots missed, hitting the asteroid instead.

"Bah. You missed them. Let me show you how it's done." Gyunei said, heading for the ship.

"Dispars, Neidharts, fire!" Talia shouted.

The Minerva's missiles streaked towards the trio. Gyunei was forced to stop, so he could shoot down the missiles heading for him as his comrades did the same. "Wow! That was impressive." Rezin mocked.

"Shut up!"

Talia grimaced as the three enemy mobile suits shot down or avoided the missiles. "We can't do anything as long as they've got our backside." she said to her helmsman. "Can we pull around?"

"No ma'am." Malik replied. "Dodging their fire is all I can manage at the moment."

"What about the ZAKUs?"

"It's no good ma'am. We don't have a clear launch vector for them."

Athrun gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched on. He felt completely helpless. Everyone else was going what they could to protect the ship from their attackers while he was stuck here, unable to do anything to help. Even Flay, the mother of young child was other there, fighting against their attackers. So why was he sitting here, doing next to nothing?

* * *

"Terminate!" Clotho roared, firing his railgun at the Chaos.

Sting transformed the Chaos, diving out of the path of the shots. He raced towards the Raider, grabbing it's shoulders with the Chaos's talons. Suddenly, the Calamity appeared, it's bazooka aimed at the Chaos. "Eat this punk!" Orga shouted, firing his cannon.

Sting swore as he barely managed to dive out of the path of the beam, letting go of the Raider in the process. "Orga, you idiot! You could have hit me!"

"Like I'd miss." Orga shot back.

Clotho grunted before looking around for the Chaos. But it was gone. "Dammit! Where the hell did he go?" he said, transforming the Raider.

The Calamity landed on the Raider. "Doesn't matter. We'll hunt him down."

Shinn twisted and dove around debris, dodging Maia's shots as she chased him. He quickly spun around, firing a barrage of missiles at the Strike Noir, forcing the Extended pilot to stop and shoot the missiles down. Using the opening, Shinn switched to his cannons and fired. Maia evaded the beams and fired back with her rifle. "This is so much fun!" Mariemaia gleefully said. "But like all performances, it has to come to the end. To the grand finale!"

Maia discarded her remaining rifle and drew her other sword. She laughed as she rushed towards the Impulse. Shinn fired his cannons, but Maia sidestepped the beams and continued. The Impulse drew one of it's beam javelins and thrust it forward as the black Strike reached him. Beam javelin met beam blade.

Nearby, the Abyss fired it's Callidus and twin triple barrel cannons at the Forbidden. Shani used his beam deflectors, once again sending the beams off in random directions. Several beams flew at the two of the remaining GuAIZs. "Shawn! Incoming!" Gekido shouted.

Both GuAIZ barely managed to avoid the beams. The Gaia appeared, one of it's beam sabers drawn. Stella roared, swinging the blade down on Gekido's GuAIZ. Gekido raised his shield in time, blocking the sword. Catching Stella off guard, he pushed the shield up, knocking her back. Gekido raised his rifle. Unbeknowest to him, the Specter was targeting him from a distance. "Now what do we have here?" Treize said, taking aim at Gekido. "Die Coordinator scum!"

Treize fired his rifle. Gekido didn't see him, but Shawn did. "Gekido! Look out!" Shawn yelled, his GuAIZ pushing Gekido's out of the way.

The beam pierced the GuAIZ and it exploded. "SHAWN!!" Gekido screamed as his friend died.

"Hmm...Missed. No matter. One less Patchworker in this world." Treize said, aiming at Gekido. "Now to remove another."

"YOU BASTARD!!!" Gekido howled at the top of his lungs. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Gekido roared as his GuAIZ charged at the Specter. Treize fired. Gekido pulled his shield out in front of him, taking the shots. Gekido fired back. Treize blocked the shot with his own shield and fired again, hitting Gekido's rifle. Gekido discarded it as it exploded. Then pulled out his beam saber from his shield. He lunged at Treize, who threw up his rifle in defense. Protecting Treize from the blade at the cost of the rifle. Treize drew his own sword. "You're gonna die, filthy Coordinator!"

The two mobile suits attacked. The GuAIZ's saber struck the Specter's shield while the Specter's sword hit the GuAIZ's shield. Both pilots fought to overpower the other. At first, it seemed like the two machines were evenly matched. But the older, mass production mobile suit was slowly being pushed back by the newer, prototype mobile suit. Treize grinned. "That little toy is no match for this machine!"

The Specter knocked the GuAIZ back and before Gekido could react, Treize thrust his sword into the GuAIZ's head. The tip of sword erupted out of the back of the machine's head. Treize swing the sword, slicing through the left side of the head. Suddenly, the GuAIZ's railguns unfolded. Their barrels pressing against the Specter's hips. Treize's eyes widened. "Eat this, you Blue Cosmos bastard!"

Treize suddenly kicked off the GuAIZ a split-second before Gekido fired. The rounds missed their target. Treize started to laugh. "And I thought that you Coordinators were all pathetic. Maybe there's some hope for you after all. Come! Show me what you have before I kill you!"

"More than happy to, you twisted monster!" Gekido shouted. "I'm gonna send you to hell!!"

* * *

The Bridge of the Minerva

The Minerva shuttered as the Girty Lue and it's mobile suits landed more near hits. Talia let out an annoyed, tired sigh. "In this position, we can't even use half of our weapons." she said. "The very rock that's protecting us from the bulk of their attacks, is restricting our ability to fight back."

"Captain! Incoming missiles!" Burt shouted.

"Shoot them down!" Talia ordered.

"But Captain, they're not on a direct course for us."

Talia turned her head to Burt's station. "What?"

Talia may not have realize what they were trying, but Athrun did. He shot up from his seat. "Captain! Pull the ship away from the asteroid!" Athrun yelled, trying to warn them before it was too late.

Unfortunately, he was too late.

The missiles streaked past the Minerva, impacting the asteroid just ahead of them. Debris rained down on the Minerva. "Pull us out! Pitch 15 degrees!" Talia ordered.

The Minerva started to pull away from the asteroid as more missiles raced towards them. "Reduce thrust by twenty percent!"

Though none of the missiles hit the ZAFT ship, chucks from the asteroid slammed into the Minerva, leaving large gashes and dents in it's hull. A massive chuck of rock crashed into the Minerva's path, blocking their escape as more debris rained down around the ship, pinning the Minerva.

"Thrusters Four and Six are damaged." Arthur reported.

"Captain! An additional mobile armor approaching." Meyrin added.

Talia grabbed the phone on her chair. "Abes, launch the ZAKUs."

"Yes, ma'am. But the catapult is blocked by debris." Abes replied.

"I don't care if they have to walk out. Just get them out there!"

"Yes, ma'am."

One of the Minerva's catapults opened. A ZAKU Phantom HM Type, armed with a beam assault rifle, emerged from it a moment later. Followed by a white ZAKU Phantom, equipped with a Blaze Wizard Pack and a red ZAKU Warrior with a Gunner Wizard Pack. The three ZAKUs took off, heading towards their attackers.

"Alright! Real opponents!" Gyunei said, transforming his mobile suit into it's mobile armor form and racing towards them.

Luna fired her cannon at the Rosso Aegis, but Gyunei effortlessly dodged her shots. Gyunei laughed. "Ah! Here, try this!"

He fired his Scylla II cannon at the trio of ZAKUs. Suiren, Rey, and Luna sidestepped his first few shots, but were caught completely off guard when the beams started to curve. "What the hell?! Curving beams?!" exclaimed Luna as they evaded the beams. "How is that even possible?!"

"Don't know." Suiren replied, firing her rifle at the Aegis. "But now isn't the time for this."

Gyunei spun his machine, avoiding her shots, before lunged her. The Aegis's limbs grabbed the ZAKU, knocking it's rifle from it's hands in the process. "Now I'm gonna crush you like a bug!" Gyunei yelled.

"I don't think so!" Suiren shouted as she pulled out a grenade.

Gyunei's eyes widened. "You're crazy, Space Alien! That won't do anything against my armor!"

"Maybe. But what if I put here!" Suiren replied, thrusting the grenade into the Aegis's cannon.

"Gah!" Gyunei screamed, transforming his machine back, releasing Suiren as well.

He quickly grabbed the grenade from his cannon and threw it a second before it exploded. As he did that, Suiren recovered her rifle. She fired at the Rosso Aegis, but Gyunei managed to get his shield up to block the beams before firing back.

Nearby, Luna and Reccoa squared off. Luna repeatedly fired her cannon, but she couldn't hit the nimble Blu Duel. "You've made a poor choice of weapon, Coordinator. A long-range cannon should never be used for close-combat." Reccoa said. "Smaller beam rifles should be used for this kind of combat."

The Extended pilot fired her beam guns at her. Luna ducked down, avoiding her beams. She then tired to take aim and fire on the Duel again, but Reccoa kept on firing. Preventing Luna from getting a clear shot on her.

Elsewhere, Rey and Rezin battled. Much like the duel between Luna and Reccoa, Rey stayed close to the Verde Buster, reducing the effectiveness of her weapons. Rezin fired off a barrage of missiles at the ZAKU. But Rey either dodged them or shot them down. He then threw a grenade at the Buster. The explosive impacted the mobile suit and exploded, throwing it back.

Rey aimed his assault rifle at the machine and was about to fire when Rey felt a shudder crawl up his spine. He jumped back, barely dodging the Exus's beams. "Rezin!" Neo called out. "I'll deal with him, you take care of that warship."

"Yes sir." Rezin replied, heading for the trapped Minerva.

"It's just you and me, Mr. White." Neo said, launching his gunbarrels. "Let's see what you got."

The Minvera shuddered as the Verde Buster started to fire on the warship through a narrow space inbetween the rocks. "Where's Shinn and the others?" Talia asked.

"They're still fighting the other mobile suits, ma'am." Meyrin answered.

"Doesn't this ship have anymore mobile suits?" Durandal asked, a note of concern in his voice.

"Yes. But we don't have any more pilots." the Captain replied.

"Captain, what if we blow away the debris in front of us with the Tannhauser?" Arthur suggested.

"We'll just end up blowing up more debris around ourselves."

It was then that Athrun thought of it. "Captain, how many of the starboard thrusters are still active?"

"What?" Talia said, turning to face the young man.

Durandal nodded his head. "Six." she answered. "But even if we use them to get out of here, we'll just be a target again."

"Captain, fire up those thrusters and at the same time, fire all of your still functioning starboard weapons at the asteroid." Athrun ordered.

"But-"

"The force of the explosion should push the ship and the surrounding rocks clear of the asteroid."

"If we do that, the Minerva's hull will be further damaged in the process." Arthur argued.

"Our top priority is to get out of this situation." Athrun shot back. "If we stay here, we'll be sitting ducks."

Talia sighed. "He's right. Do it."

"But Captain-"

"Do it Arthur. Prepare to fire all armaments on the starboard side. Fire them simultaneously as we initiate a maximum burn on our starboard thrusters." Talia ordered.

Arthur reluctantly nodded. "Yes ma'am." He turned to his console. Preparing all starboard armaments for firing."

"When I give the signal, fire the starboard thrusters."

Meanwhile, the Girty Lue advanced on the trapped Minerva as Rezin continued to fire on it. The combined firepower of the ship and mobile ship would be enough to severely damage the Minerva if not destroy it completely. "Bogey-1, distance: 150." Burt reported.

"All hands, brace for shockwave impact." Talia said. "Starboard thruster at maximum!"

The remaining starboard thrusters of the Minerva activated, pushing the ship against the rocks pinning them. "All starboard weapons, fire!" Arthur ordered.

The starboard missile tubes fired off a spread of missiles as the starboard Tristan beam cannon and Isolde triple cannon fired. The explosion threw up rocks into space. Rezin cursed as she fired every weapon her machine had to protect herself from the flying rocks. The rest of the nearby mobile suits stopped fighting and turned to the asteroid. The Minerva, battered but still functional, emerged from the asteroid.

"30 degrees yaw!" Talia ordered. "Fire at Bogey-1!"

"Targeting Tannhauser at Bogey-1" Arthur said.

The powerful positron blaster cannon unfolded from the front of the warship as a wave of dust and rock headed for the Girty Lue. "Evasive maneuvers! Hard to port!" Lee ordered as the debris reached his ship.

"Fire!" Talia shouted.

The Tannhauser fired. The beam tearing through the dust cloud, grazing the starboard side of the Girty Lue, damaging it. The Minerva flew past the Girty Lue as smoke poured out of the damaged carrier.

"Damn." Neo cursed. "To think that they would actually manage turn things around like that..."

Suddenly, Rey fired on the mobile armor, but Neo dodged his shots. "We're withdrawing! Lee, fire the signal flares!"

* * *

Treize and Gekido roared as they clashed again. This time, Treize's sword slashed through the GuAIZ's shield and cut it's forearm in two. But the GuAIZ's beam saber managed to leave a large gash on the Specter's shield. Treize threw his damaged shield at the GuAIZ. Gekido fired his railguns twice, the first pair of rounds destroying the shield while the second pair streaked towards the Specter. The stolen mobile suit shot up, dodging the shots and then kicked a piece of debris at the GuAIZ. Gekido dodged the debris, but the second he did, Treize fired his Cerebus beam guns at him. Gekido's eyes widened. He didn't have time to dodge the beams...

Suddenly, the Strike Raven appeared in front of the GuAIZ. The beams struck it's shield, sparing both machines any damage. "Are you okay?" Flay asked, not taking her eyes off the Specter.

Gekido grunted. "Fine. Get out of the way. This is between me and that monster."

"Pest." Treize said, pulling out his beam guns. "I'll destroy both of you then!"

At that very moment, flares were shot from the Girty Lue, signaling their retreat. "Dammit!" Treize said, punching the screen. "Everyone, time to go."

"Aw... But I'm not done!" Maia complained as she and Shinn continued to trade blows with her swords and his javelin.

"Yeah!" Auel added as his spear and Shani's scythe were locked in a test of strength.

"I said, _it's time to go_. Am I clear?" Treize said.

"Okay big brother." Maia said before she kicked the Impulse in the chest, knocking Shinn back, allowing her to withdraw.

"Yeah yeah, I'm going." Auel grunted as he pulled away from the Forbidden and headed back.

Nearby, the Gaia and the Chaos left their opponents and headed for the Girty Lue.

"This is not over." Treize said to the ZAFT and Orb pilots before raced off, joining his teammates.

* * *

The Bridge of the Minerva

"Captain. Bogey-1 and it's mobile suits are retreating." Burt reported.

"The Impulse, Tristan's GuAIZ and the Orb mobile suits are critically low on power while Gekido's GuAIZ has been badly damaged." Maia paused for a moment. "We also lost Shawn and Dale."

Talia sighed. "Ship status?"

"Due to the explosions earlier, Engine Number Two and the port side heat sensors were critically damaged." Arthur answered.

"Captain Gladys, we've done enough." Durandal said. "We need to stop and lick our wounds before planning our next move. Plus I can't risk keeping Representative Athha around here any longer."

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

A Short While Later

"Dammit!!" Gekido roared as he threw his helmet on the hanger floor. "That bastard!!"

"Calm down." Tristan said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Gekido clenched his fists, trying to restrain his anger. Shawn and Dale were dead. Killed by that monster. The four of them had gone through the Academy together. From their first day at the Academy to their graduation and assignment to the Minerva.

Shawn, the joker. An orphan from the last war, he was always trying to make everyone laugh. Friendly and good-hearted. Dale, the master poker player. The oldest of three siblings. A little on the cocky side, but a good guy through and through.

Now they were gone.

Gekido scowled and headed for the lockers, passing the Orb pilots. "Hey!" someone called out.

Gekido stopped and turned around. This was the first time he had actually been face to face with the Orb pilots. The one that had called him was a pilot with slicked-back green hair and blue eyes. "I know you." he said.

"What? What are talking about? This is the first time we've met."

The pilot shook his head. "No. I know who you are. Kevin Hunter."

* * *

As always, review.


	6. Phase Five: Scars That Won't Heal

Yo everybody! I have to say, I rather enjoyed this chapter. Especially Sato's lines. The only thing I loved him was his rants. They were like Creuset's rants in the last episode of SEED. You just have to have them.

Now I kinda shortened the fight scenes in this chapter, and that's because I merged two episodes together. So it was getting pretty large with just the important scenes I needed to have. And I hate reading those massive, massive pages, so I trimmed the fighting scenes. Rest assured, it's unlikely that this will happen again.

Also, I've updated the mobile suit page with some new machines. I didn't do the entire 11th Fleet because I have some plans for them in the furture.

**Phase Five: Scars That Won't Heal**

Junius Seven

Unbeknownst to virtually everyone, a group of men and women in GINN High Maneuver Type IIs and worker pods were moving around the largest piece of Junius Seven. They were all fanatics on a mission. To first what Patrick Zala started. "Solar wind velocity is steady. Flare level S3. Estimated time to particle arrival, 30 seconds." one pilot reported.

"Hurry up." a GINN pilot said. "What about Unit 9?"

"We're just about ready sir." another replied.

A worker pod entered a code on the final motor. "Flare motor ignition countdown starting."

All of the mobile suits and pods started to withdraw from Junius Seven as one of them started the countdown. "Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six... Five... Four... Three... Two... One... Particles have arrived. Flare motors activating."

Hundreds of red lights appeared across Junius Seven. The speed of the massive wreckage increased, driving towards Earth.

"Junius Seven has begun to move."

Sato, the leader of the group, glanced at a group of photos taped to his console. "Helen, Kristen... We'll be reunited after this." he whispered as his former home headed for Earth.

"Now fall! Our great tombstone!" Sato shouted to heavens. "On a world that has forgotten the voices of sorrow! That closes it's eyes to the truth! And chooses to wallow in deceit! The hour of correction is now at hand!"

* * *

The Minerva

"I know you." Orga said.

"What? What are talking about? This is the first time we've met." Gekido replied.

The former Extended shook his head. "No. I know who you are. Kevin Hunter."

Gekido raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I...I don't know that name. Did I know you?"

"You were one of us. You piloted the Massacre. Hell, we thought you died at Jachin Due." Orga answered. "Don't you remember?"

Gekido had heard the stories of the four devastating Earth Alliance mobile suits in final days of the last war. The Invasion of Orb, the Taking of Victoria, the Battle of Boaz and Jachin Due. Survivors had told tales of four EA mobile suits that virtually unstoppable. The few survivors of Boaz as well as many of the survivors of Jachin Due that encountered them, had dubbed them the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Not just because of their ferocity in combat, but because they also escorted the Alliance's nuclear warheads during the battles.

Were those three machines apart of those four? Gekido didn't know. He had never seen any records from those battles. But was he one of those four or just someone that looks like one of them? No. He knew who he was. "No. I have no idea who you're talking about. My name is Gekido Jaeger." he said, heading away from the green haired pilot.

Gekido never talked about his past. Because he didn't have a past. His earliest memory was waking up in a ZAFT hospital about eight months after the Battle of Jachin Due, with no name, no memory, and only one link to who he was. He entered the quarters he shared with Dale. He opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a small journal.

The only thing he had on him when he was brought to hospital and the only clue to his past. Unfortunately, what was written in it was little more than the ravings of a lunatic. Some of writings were angry and violent, ranting against men in white, a prick in a blue suit, and one particular man that the writer seemed to hate and fear. Some seemingly pleading with some unknown person. The rest was just gibberish for a lack of better term.

Once again, he opened the journal and began to read through a section of it once again.

_Why? Why did she leave me here? I was trying to protect her. Protect her from HIM. So why did she abandon me? Why did she call me a monster?_

* * *

Talia's Quarters

Later That Night

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Talia rose from her bed, draping a sheet over her naked body. She reached her desk and opened the comm. "Yes?"

"Captain. There's a message from the Supreme Council on Channel 1 for Chairman Durandal."

Talia looked over her shoulder at her bed. Gillbert nodded. "I'll take it in here." he said.

* * *

Thirty Minutes Later

Cagalli suppress a yawn as she rubbed her tired eyes. Standing beside her was Athrun and Flay. All of them were wondering why the Chairman had called for them in the middle of the night. The door to the Captain's Quarters opened. "Come in Princess." Durandal said, greeting them. "I'm afraid I have some grave news for you."

"What is it? What's happened?" Cagalli asked as they entered.

"Take a seat and I'll explain everything." Durandal answered.

Cagalli and Durandal both sat down as Flay and Athrun stood beside Cagalli while Captain Gladys stood next to Durandal. The Chairman let out a tired sigh and explained what they had just learned from ZAFT. Stunning and horrifying the three. "What?! Junius Seven is moving towards Earth?!" Cagalli exclaimed.

"But Junius Seven's orbit was suppose to be stable for hundreds of years. How could this happen?" Flay asked.

"We don't know. Perhaps an asteroid hit it and altered it's course." Durandal suggested. "Regardless, it is now on a collision course with the Earth."

"If it falls... Orb... No, the entire planet..." Cagalli stopped, unable to finish her sentence.

Flay's mind was on her son and Chris. One of her hands were wrapped around her locket and Chris's dog tags. Junius Seven had been Chris's home before it was destroyed. His parents and many of his friends had died there and was their resting place. And Alexander was living in Orb. He was in danger. If Junius Seven hit the Earth, he would...

Her hand clenched around the two objects. She would not allow that to happen. She had lost enough already.

"Indeed Princess. If Junius Seven collides with Earth, the damage would be catastrophic." Durandal said. "At the moment, we're doing all we can to stop the collision and investigating what caused this disaster." Durandal sighed. "I must apologize for involving you in yet another incident, but I have ordered the Minerva to head for Junius Seven once our repairs have been completed. I hope you understand."

Cagalli nodded. "Of course. This is vital to all of us as well. And I offer any assistance that I or the Orb personnel with me can offer." she urgently said.

"I appreciate your offer, Princess. I fear that we may have to call on them before this is over."

* * *

Crew Lounge

The Next Day

Minerva pilots and some of the crew as well as John, Orga, Clotho and Shani were sitting around, talking the news that had spread across the ship like wildfire. That Junius Seven was now on a collision course with Earth. Expect for Shani, Orga and Clotho, who were sitting off to a side, lost in their own little worlds. "Hmm... But how did it start moving?" Vino asked before taking a sip from his drink.

"Maybe a meteorite or something hit it." Yolant suggested.

"So then is it really on a collision course with Earth?" Shinn asked.

"Aye." John grimly replied, staring into the contents of his coffee mug.

Luna sighed. "First the attack on Armory One, which we have yet to wrap up, and now this. Just what is going on?"

"So what are we going to do when get to Junius Seven?" Tristan asked. "I mean how do we stop something like that?"

"Simple. We shatter it." Suiren answered as she entered the room.

"Shatter it? How?" Vino asked.

"I just finished talking to the ZAFT Commander that's been placed in charge of the operation. It's impossible to change it's course in time. So we're going to use Meteor Breakers to shatter Junius Seven into countless smaller pieces. Most of which will burn up in the atmosphere. Those that do get through the atmosphere will cause considerably less damage." Suiren explained.

"But that thing's huge!" exclaimed Yolant. "Even if we do break it half, that's still 8 kilometers we have to break up."

Gekido grunted. "And your point is?"

"How do you destroy something that big?"

"And what about the victims." Meyrin quietly added. "It's filled with the bodies of those who died."

"But if it hits, Earth will be annihilated." Rey countered. "Nothing would be left. Alive or dead."

Everyone was silent for moment, contemplating what would happen. "Oh well... If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. It's out of our hands." Yolant mused. "But look on bright side, it'd solve a lot of hassles for us and things would be better for us in the PLANTs."

_WHAM!_

"Ow!"

"Don't even joke about that, kid." John coldly said as he stood over Yolant.

"Hey! He was just kidding around. Yolant didn't mean that." Shinn said in defense of his friend.

"You don't get it, do you? We're talking about billions of lives here! It would be the same as every PLANT being destroyed at the same time." John replied. "All of your friends, family, everyone you know, gone in an instant. That is was we are dealing with here. I don't give a damn about whatever problem any of you have with the governments of Earth, it's people do not deserve annihilation. And you're luckly that neither Representative Athha or Flay are here at the moment. Both of them would kick your asses for that."

"We know that!" Shinn yelled back. "Yolant was just trying to lighten the mood!"

"You do not lighten mood with that kind of crap." John shot back. "I thought the PLANTs had changed since Patrick Zala ran things. What he said was the kind of garbage that he, the creep La Creuset and those followed them would say."

Unnoticed by the rest of them, both Rey and Suiren tensed at the mention of Creuset.

"If that's what those in the ZAFT still believe, I'm glad I left."

Shinn opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Suiren interrupted. "That's enough you two! We're suppose to be allies here! Not tearing each others' throats out!"

John nodded. "Sorry about that. I got a little carried away there. But I was right. This isn't a joking matter."

"I agree. But attacking Yolant isn't going to accomplish anything." Suiren replied. "Shinn. I don't hear your apology."

"I'm sorry." Shinn grumbled.

"Now, let's focus on mission ahead of us. Alright?"

* * *

A Private Estate

Earth

A group of wealthy men sat around a plush, expensive-looking lounge, talking about the looming crisis. "Well then, this is a shocking situation."

"Indeed. A truly unprecedented crisis. The doomsday scenario of Earth."

"I can't help but wonder if someone actually wrote such scenario."

"I've ordered Phantom Pain to investigate that matter." Djibril said to his associates.

"Does that even matter now? What good will such an investigation do?" Mr. Lorne asked.

"That's what we are investigating." Djibril answered.

"Why did you call this meeting Djibril?" Mr. Gradenko asked, an impatient tone in his voice. "I can't see the Atlantic Federation and all the other nations of the Earth not doing everything they can to prevent that thing from falling and taking the necessary precautions in case it does hit."

Djibril suppressed a smirk. "I'm not being overly dramatic when I say that I am completely shocked by what's happened." he said. "Junius Seven... Is this really happening? And why? Those were the first questions that entered my mind as well."

Mr. Hoffesommer punched the table he was sitting at. "Cut to the chase Djibril."

"No. That's the whole point." he replied with a smirk. "Given what's about to happen, the whole world will be asking these questions. That's where we come in. Durandal of the PLANTs has already issued a warning to all the nations of the Earth and that ZAFT is already doing everything they can to prevent a collision."

"He was quick to do so."

"They're panicking as well."

"Perhaps this event is due to natural causes." Mr. Lorne mused. "If that's the case..."

"So what. That's irrelevant now." Djibril said, seeking to crush any thought of that before it started. "What's important is what happens after the crisis. What's important is the answer that we will provide the grieving citizens when they ask, 'Why did this happen?'. Which is why I have secured us a useful asset." He turned to the door. "Miss Ryker."

A young women in a light blue dress entered the room. She was an attractive girl, with black eyes and her skin was a dark tan color. She politely bowed before the group. "Good afternoon gentlemen. I am Serena Ryker."

"Miss Ryker will be the public face of the Earth Alliance this crisis has ended." he turned to the girl. "Why don't give them a little preview."

"Yes sir." Serena said, turning to the group of gathered men. "This is the speech I've prepared should Junius Seven be broken into smaller, less damaging pieces that hit the Earth. 'People of Earth, a terrible tragedy has befallen us. Cities have devastated. Countless lives have lost. A horrible accident... Or at least that's what Chairman Durandal of ZAFT would have you believe. The truth is that is was _not_ an accident. But an attack on us.'" she cleared her throat and smiled. "You'll have to wait for the rest, gentlemen."

"That will be all, Miss Ryker." Djibril said with a wave of his hand. "You may leave."

She bowed her head. "As you wish, Lord Djibril." she replied before leaving.

"Hmph... Where did you find that girl?"

"An associate of mine found her about a year ago. A poor, starved orphan from the last war." Djibril mused. "Who better to be the 'Voice of the People' for this war?"

"Impressive Djibril. You've been thinking quite far in advance for this." Gradenko commented.

"Of course. Regardless of the cause, no one can deny that very soon, one clumsy, stupid object up in the sky is going to fall down on our heads. It's a humiliation! Think of how this looks. Because of that cursed thing, we all run around, looking scared and spineless. Someone must pay for this disgrace. But who?" Djibril paused, letting his question sink in. "Who else but the Coordinators who put that thing into space in the first place! Doesn't that make sense?"

"That's fine with me. But given the situation, the damage may be so severe that we may not have the strength to fight a war." Lorne pointed out.

"That is why I have gathered you here today." Djibril replied. "Escaping and seeking shelter is fine. But immediately afterwards, we should attack, with the plan. I'd like to request your collective approval."

"Brilliant."

"A bold move."

"The resulting hatred for the Coordinators will get the people riled up. They will fight."

"Those that are left anyway." Mr. Lorne sighed. "I suppose that we'll be uniting the people with the power of hatred."

Gradenko nodded. "It appears that there are not objections, Djibril. We'll meet again after the crisis has ended. Have a detailed plan prepared by then."

"I shall."

* * *

Junius Seven

"Commander. We're in position, as are the Valkyrie, the Einherjar, the Thor, the Loki, the Baldur, the Voltaire and the Rousseau." an operator reported.

The Commander nodded. "Patch me through to all our forces in."

"Yes sir."

"All ZAFT personnel, this is Commander Diana Kessel. As you are aware, Junius Seven is on a collision course with Earth. If it hits, the devastation it will cause will be catastrophic. We cannot allow that to happen. All team leaders, deploy your teams. Get the meteor breakers in position. Commander Kessel out."

"You know, I got a bad feeling about this." Ajay commented as the first of the mobile suits were deployed. "A real bad feeling."

"That does not matter." Diana replied. "We have to break up Junius Seven before it can hit the Earth."

* * *

The Bridge of the Baldur

"Look at the size of that think. It's huge." Dearka commented as they watched Junius Seven draw closer to Earth.

Commander Yzak Joule looked over should at his red coated second-in-command. "What do you expect? They have to be big Dearka. We live on these things, remember."

"I know that Yzak. The mission we're on is very important. I commented on the size as a reminder of just how important is it." Dearka replied, heading for the elevator.

"Just make sure the job gets done." Yzak called out. "We're running out of time."

Teams of GuAIZ Rs and ZAKUs carrying Meteor Breakers left the their ships, heading for Junius Seven. Within a matter of minutes, the first of the teams had started setting up their Breakers. But they weren't alone. A pair of GINNs fired on a ZAKU and two GuAIZs setting up a Breaker. Destroying the three mobile suits before they fired on the device. Elsewhere, a pair of GuAIZs, carrying one of the Meteor Breakers, were shot down by a GINN.

"What the... Gunfire?!" Dearka said as watched a team being gunned down. "Shiho, everyone, we're under attack! Form up around the Breakers and defend them! Yzak, we're under attack! You better send out reinforcements!"

* * *

The Odin

"Commander! The Joule Team, the DeCosta Team and the Kukov Team are reporting that they're under fire!"

Everyone on the bride was stunned. Who'd be insane enough to attack them as they were trying to shatter Junius Seven? "Send word to the fleet! Deploy all mobile suits at once! Everyone is to defend the Meteor Breakers! Everything else is secondary to that!" Diana ordered as she headed for the elevator. "Send word the Minerva too!"

* * *

The Girty Lue

"What do think those ZAFT mobile suits are doing?" Lee asked as they watched the two groups of ZAFT mobile suits battle.

"I'm just as puzzled as you are." Neo replied. "Perhaps this isn't an act of God after all. Send out Treize's team and be sure to record as much data as possible."

* * *

The Minerva

"Three minutes until mobile suit launch." Meyrin said over the intercom. "All pilots are to board their machines and remain on standby. I repeat..."

"I know we're suppose to assist the teams breaking up Junius Seven, but what exactly does that mean?" Luna asked Yolant as she reached her ZAKU.

"Well..."

At that moment, Luna spotted Athrun boarding the spare ZAKU. "Hey. What is he doing?"

Yolant looked over his shoulder and shrugged. "Well I guess in a support operation like this, it's better to have too many machines than not enough."

"Well... I guess he does know how to pilot a mobile suit." Luna commented.

A few minutes later, Suiren's ZAKU and the Farsight had been loaded onto the catapults. The crews were going through the final launch preparations when Meyrin's voice came over the intercom. "Abort launch immediately! The situation has changed! The 11th Fleet is battling an unknown force at Junius Seven! All units are to equip for anti-mobile suit combat!"

"What?! Meyrin! What's going on? Who's attacking Junius Seven?" Suiren asked, trying to handle on the situation.

"That's about all we know." Meyrin replied. "We just detected them."

"Damn. This rules out natural causes." John said. "The only ones that would be attacking the teams out there, would be the ones who altered Junius Seven's course."

"That doesn't matter." Suiren said. "The mission is still the same. Ensure that Junius Seven is broken up before it hits the Earth."

The Core Splendor was launched, followed by the Force Silhouette, the Chest Flyer, and the Leg Flyer. After Shinn's machine had launched, the rest of the machines started launching. Soon, all of the Minerva's mobile suits had been launched, heading for Junius Seven.

* * *

Elsewhere

"This time, the Coordinators have gone too far this time!" Gyunei shouted as they approached Junius Seven. "I'm gonna tear them to pieces!"

"Patience. They will pay in due time." Treize said, scanning the area. "There. I've located a group of ZAFT warships. Rezin, Maia, you're with me. We're going to sink those ships. Reccoa, take everyone else and go after the mobile suits."

Across Junius Seven, the ZAFT forces battled the insurgents. A GuAIZ was sliced in two by a GINN. Dearka fired his gun launcher at the GINN, destroying it. Shiho aimed her cannons at a pair of GINNs and fired, hitting both machines. A third lunged at her with a sword. But Shiho shot it down with her rifle. "Damn. These guys are persistent." Shiho said as she switched out her rifle's dead battery clip for a fresh one. "But why are they attacking us? We're trying break Junius Seven up."

"No clue." Dearka answered, combining his gun launcher and rifle together and firing on a group of GINNs. "But this isn't really the time for questions."

As Shiho and Dearka continued to fired on the insurgents, the Extended pilots arrived at Junius Seven. "Spread out and destroy them all." Reccoa ordered.

Gyunei licked his lips in anticipation as they headed for the two ZAFT pilots. "Alright! Time for some action!"

Dearka swore as the two of them dodged the incoming shots. "Damn. The thieves from Armory One. As if we didn't have enough problems."

Reccoa drew one of her sabers and lunged at Shiho. The ZAFT ace threw her rifle in front of her as she pulled back, catching the blade. Shiho fired her cannons at the Blu Duel. But Reccoa dove down, evading the beams. The second the beams past her, Reccoa leaped forward, intending to cut the ZAKU apart. But just as she reached him, a burst of beams tore between the two, forcing them both back. "Shiho, you alright?" Yzak asked as he moved in front of the dark blue ZAKU.

"Fine sir."

Yzak took a glance at the Blu Duel. "Hmph... A new Duel model. Well, get ready punk. Cause I'm the original Duel pilot and there's no way I'm going to lose to you!"

Yzak drew his Falx beam axe and swung at Reccoa, who blocked with her saber.

At the same time, Sting launched his mobile pods, firing on Dearka as Auel swung his spear at Shiho. Dearka dodged Sting's shots before firing back his combined weapon at the stolen machine. Shiho drew her sword and clashed with the Abyss.

Other ZAKUs and GuAIZs fired on the Rosso Aegis and the Gaia. Both pilots dodged the beams and fired back with their rifles, shooting down many of the ZAFT machines. But as if that wasn't enough, a group of GINNs attacked both groups.

Gyunei laughed as he transformed his machine into it's mobile armor mode. "So many targets... Who am I gonna crush first? I know... YOU!!" he roared, lunging at Dearka.

But he was stopped by a single beam. "Hey punks. Looks like we meet again." Suiren said.

The Impulse, the ZAKUs, the GuAIZs, the Farsight, the Strike Raven, the Forbidden, the Calamity and Raider appeared.

Gekido grunted as he and Tristan fired on the Gaia. "The Specter's not here."

"That doesn't matter at the moment. There's plenty of enemies right here." Tristan replied.

Clotho glanced around at the mobile suits around them. "Hey. Which guys are we suppose to attack?"

"The black and purple GINNs and the guys from the last battle." John answered.

Clotho smirked. "All I need to know."

Clotho threw his spherical breaker, smashing through a GINN's chest. Orga unleashed a fierce barrage from his cannons and bazooka, blowing away several GINNs. A pair of GINNs fired on the Forbidden, their beams bouncing off his defectors. Shani laughed as he fired his Hresvelgr cannon at them. The curving beam destroying them.

Stella landed on Junius Seven, transforming the Gaia into it's mobile armor mode, heading for a pair of GuAIZs setting up a Meteor Breaker. Suddenly, the Raven Striker pack slammed into the Gaia, knocking Stella back. Flay landed in front of the Gaia as the Raven Striker reattached itself. Flay drew one of her beam saber as the Gaia transformed back and drew one of it's sabers, and the two clashed.

Gyunei wildly swung his beam saber-tipped arms at the Impulse. Shinn backed away from the Aegis, ducking and sidestepping his swings. A lucky swing caught Shinn's shield, cutting into it. Shinn let go of the shield as he drew his saber and swung it down on the Rosso Aegis. Gyunei ducked back, kicking the Impulse in the chest. "I gonna do what no one else has done. I'm gonna take your head! Then even Treize will have to acknowledge my superiority!"

He fired off several shots from his Scylla cannon. The beams forced Shinn back. "Damn. This guy's nuts." Shinn said as he fired his rifle at Aegis.

Reccoa and Yzak continued their duel when Suiren fired on the Blu Duel, forcing it back. "Hey! Stay out of this!" Yzak shouted.

Reccoa pulled out several of her Stiletto penetrators and threw them at Suiren's ZAKU. Suiren pulled out one of her shields. Two of the Stilettos hit her shield while the third pieced her monoeye. "Damn. That was a lucky shot." Suiren cursed.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, Coordinator." Reccoa stated, firing her beam guns at the two.

Both ZAKUs blocked her shots with their shields before firing back.

Elsewhere, Athrun, Luna and Rey battled the insurgents. Luna fired her cannon, hitting two GINNs in one shot. A GINN moved behind Luna, intending to shoot her in the back, when a beam tore through it. "Thanks Rey." Luna called out.

"Don't mention it." Rey replied, firing at more GINNs.

A GINN fired at Athrun's ZAKU, but Athrun blocked it with his shield and drew his tomahawk. The GINN pilot, seeing that as a challenge, discarded his rifle and pulled out his sword. The GINN rushed towards Athrun. Just as a it was about to attack, Athrun struck, slicing off it's sword arm. But GINN pilot didn't let up. He continued to attack, trying to tackle Athrun. Leaving Athrun no choice, but to slash at the GINN's torso, destroying it.

Well aimed beams rained across Junius Seven, taking out the insurgent GINNs with surgical precision. "Sir, it's good to see you again." Diana said as she pulled her dark purple ZAKU alongside the Farsight.

"I'm not your superior officer anymore." John said with an annoyed tone. "Call me John."

"Yes sir."

John shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Commander! The Specter and two unknown mobile suits as well as several GINNs are heading for the fleet!" ZAKU pilot reported.

Diana scowled. They needed to protect the Breakers. But if they lost their ships, they'd have no where to go afterwards. "Basque! Take you team and defend the fleet. Everyone else, focus on protecting the Meteor Breakers."

Basque nodded. "Ma'am."

"You made the right choice." John said. "We have to minimize the damage to Earth, even if the fleet suffers for it."

"I know sir. I know."

* * *

The Minerva

"Ma'am. The Joule Team is under attack by Chaos, Gaia, Abyss and two of the machines from Bogey-1." Meyrin reported.

"What? At this rate, they won't be able to carry out the operation in time." Arthur exclaimed. "Captain, we need to attack Bogey-1"

Talia turned to Durandal. "Chairman, I'd like your opinion on Bogey-1 at this time. Are they renegades or are they from the Earth Alliance?"

"It's difficult to say. Personally, I don't want to think of them as members of the Earth Alliance.

"There's no telling what would happen if such embers were ignited."

"But the situation has changed."

"Yes. If that unit admit to being a part of the Earth Alliance or somehow associated with them, then they would have no reason to fight us."

"What if they believe that we are protecting those GINNs." Durandal mused.

"But we're not!" Arthur nearly shouted.

"It's not that obvious." Talia countered. "Image if those machines were Daggers and Alliance forces showed up. You'd think they were a part of that as well."

"Are we able to contact Bogey-1?" Durandal asked.

"There is the International Rescue Channel." Talia replied. "We might be able to contact them through that channel."

"Then please try to contact them." the Chairman said. "Tell them that we're supporting the work to break up Junius Seven before it drops to Earth."

* * *

The ZAFT Fleet

"You bastards! Trying to drop this on the Earth! I'll make sure you don't live long enough to see it crash!" Treize yelled, firing his beam revolvers at a group of GINNs, GuAIZs and ZAKUs, destroying them all with well-aimed shots.

"Hey punk! Eat this!" Basque called out from the edge of the Einherjar's catapult, firing his Orthros beam cannon.

Treize effortlessly sidestepped his shots as raced towards the ship. He fired off a single beam, piercing Basque's cannon, destroying it. Then Treize tackled the ZAKU, slamming it into the Einherjar's hanger doors. "Time to die, Coordinator." Treize said, pointing his cannon at Basque's ZAKU.

Basque roared, drawing his beam tomahawk and lunging forward. Treize fired, the beam piercing the ZAKU torso and hitting the Einherjar's hanger. The Bruticus exploded. Treize then aimed his cannon at the bridge of the Einherjar. Suddenly, he felt something. Treize spun to the left and fired, nearly hitting a blood red ZAKU Phantom. The ZAKU fired it's rifle, forcing Treize to leap off the Nazca-class. "Pest. I'll dispose of you too!" he shouted, drawing his sword.

The ZAKU pilot only responded by switching from his rifle to his Falx beam axe. The two charged forward, their weapons clashing.

Maia fired the grenades from her rifles and her railguns at the Thor. Explosions tore across the side of the ship's hull. Rezin approached the Odin, firing a barrage of missiles and beams at the warship. Explosions blossomed across it's hull. "Oh? Still standing? Here, take another barrage!"

Suddenly, a pair of ZAKUs fired on her. "You're not sinking the Commander's flag!" one of the pilots shouted.

"Jerks! Get out of my way!" Rezin roared, firing on the ZAKUs.

* * *

Suddenly, as the various combatants fought across Junius Seven, the deployed Meteor Breakers drilled through the colony. A massive crack formed across the surface of the colony. Everyone paused as Junius Seven split in two. One half slowed down, drifting away from the other as it continued on it's course. Some of the ZAFT pilots let out a cheer. Dearka included.

"Don't celebrate yet." Athrun said. "We still have work to do. We need to break it up more."

Both Yzak and Dearka were surprised to hear Athrun's voice. "What are you doing here, in a place like this, you bastard?" Yzak angrily asked.

"That doesn't matter." Athrun replied. "We still have to finish the job."

"I know that." grunted Yzak.

Dearka and Shiho grabbed a fallen Breaker as Yzak and Athrun flew cover for them. "You sure haven't changed, Yzak." Athrun commented as they traveled.

"You too."

Dearka chuckled. "All we're missing is Nicol and Saul."

A group of insurgents rose up from behind a large slab of rock, ambushing the group as they reached a drill site. "Yzak!" Athrun shouted as they attacked.

"Shut up! I'm the commander now!" Yzak said, as trio of GINNs surrounded him. "Don't order me around, civilian!"

Yzak swung his beam axe in a wide arc, slicing a GINN in half and hacking the legs off another. The third fired on him, but Yzak was faster, dodging the beams and stabbing the GINN through the head with a beam saber.

Athrun gunned down two GINNs when a third rushed him. Athrun grabbed one of his grenades. Just as the GINN reached him, Athrun slammed the grenade into the GINN's eye slit, just left of the monoeye. Athrun pulled back just before the grenade exploding, taking out the GINN. Dearka fired his gun launcher and rifle at last two of GINNs the group, destroying them as Shiho set up the Breaker.

The Meteor Breaker, along with several more, activated, tearing through the colony. Chucks broke away from Junius Seven. Reducing it's size even more. But it still wasn't enough.

* * *

The Girty Lue fired off it's retreat flares. One by one, the Extended pilots withdrew from the area. Treize was the last. Taking one last look at the red ZAKU Phantom. Treize had thrown nearly everything he had at ZAKU, only to be blocked or countered every time. Forget that white machine and the others from the ZAFT ship, this was real opponent. Treize would remember him and seek him out in future battles.

Aboard the Minerva, the crew let out a sigh of relief. "It looks like they finally believed us." Durandal commented.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps they withdrew for another reason." Talia said.

"Another reason?"

"Altitude." she replied. "If we keep descending with Junius Seven, we won't be able to escape Earth's gravity." Talia sighed. "We must start choosing between lives... The lives that we can save and the lives that we can't." Talia turned to Durandal. "I'm sorry sir. But I'm going to have to ask you to transfer to the Voltaire. The Minerva will descend into the atmosphere. We'll try to break it up Junius Seven with the Tannhauser."

"What?!" a very stunned Arthur said. "You can't be serious Captain!"

"I don't know how much we'll be able to do, but if could do something but didn't how could we live with ourselves?"

"But Talia..."

"I'm a woman of luck. You can trust me."

"Very well. Thank you Talia." Durandal solemnly said, rising from his seat. "We will meet again."

Talia saluted him. "You should get going Mr. Chairman."

Durandal turned to Cagalli. "Princess."

Cagalli shook her head. "No. I'm staying." she said, surprising the crew yet again. "Athrun hasn't returned yet. Besides, if the Minerva is going to all this trouble to save the Earth, then I'm going with it."

"Yes, but people who hold office have other duties as well." Talia replied.

"Well, if the Representative wishes to stay, than I will respect her wishes." Durandal said before he left.

"Inform the Voltaire that the Chairman is transferring to their ship. And fire the retreat flares." Talia ordered.

* * *

The Minerva fired it's flares as text messages appeared on the consoles of the ZAFT and Orb mobile suits. "It's time to withdraw. We're getting too close to the atmosphere." Diana said. "All forces withdraw. The Minerva's going to try to break it up further with it's main cannon."

The survivors of the ZAFT fleet withdrew to their ships as Minerva pilots and their Orb allies headed back to the Minerva. Shinn was heading for the Minerva with them when he caught Athrun, Flay and John setting up a Meteor Breaker.

"What are you doing?!" Shinn asked as he rushed to their position. "We have to get out of here before the Minerva fires the Tannhauser!"

"Get out of here. Don't worry about us." Flay replied.

"The Minerva's main cannon will only scorch the surface. It won't be as effective as this." Athrun added.

"But-"

"If you want to help, then cover us." John said. "I doubt that our attackers have given up that easily."

Beams suddenly hit the ground near the Breaker. "NO!" Sato roared as he lead a trio of GINNs towards the group. "We won't let you stop it!!"

Two GINNs were armed with rifles and fired at the Breaker as they approached. Shinn, Flay and Athrun quickly blocked the beams with their shields.

"My daughter's tombstone must fall!! It's the only way the world will change!!" one pilot screamed as he raced towards the four.

"I don't care!" Flay screamed back as she headed for the GINN. "I won't let you bring down Junius Seven! Such a tragedy must never be unleashed on the world again!" Drawing a beam saber, she sliced the GINN in half at the waist. "I will not let my son die for the sake of your vengeance."

"His daughter? Who are these guys?" Shinn asked.

"I thought so. Only one group would be insane enough to do this. The diehard fanatics of Patrick Zala." John grimly answered. "The maniacs that believe that the only way for Coordinators to live safely is to get rid of every last Natural. They're no better than Blue Cosmos."

"You bastard! Don't you dare compare us to them!" an insurgent shouted, racing towards John with his sword.

John fired a single shot, piercing the GINN. "There is no reasoning with these mad men. Just shoot them down."

Athrun pulled out his tomahawk as Sato swung his sword at him. "Have you forgotten about the innocent lives thrown away here?! You're living in a damn dream world! Laughing with the butchers who caused this! You bastards!" Sato ranted as he clashed with Athrun. "The cowardly successors of Clyne have deceived us! They've corrupted and weakened ZAFT! Can't you see that?! Patrick Zala knew it all along! The only truth path for Coordinators is one that he had chosen for us!"

Images of the Bloody Valentine, his father and his madness, and GENISIS and the devastation it brought. His father legacy to the world. More insane, irrational hatred.

The other remaining GINN lunged at Shinn with his sword. Shinn sidestepped the GINN and hacked off it's sword arm. But that didn't stop the pilot. The GINN jumped Shinn, wrapping it's legs around the Impulse. A moment later, the GINN self-destructed, throwing Shinn back.

"Shinn!" Athrun called out.

At that very moment, a large chuck of the GINN hit the Meteor Breaker, triggering it. The drill descended into Junius Seven. But nothing happened...

* * *

The Minerva

"Initiating Descent Sequence Phase Two." Arthur said as the Minerva's wings folded and it entered the atmosphere.

"What about the Impulse and those other machines?" Talia asked.

"I can't locate them, ma'am" Meyrin reported.

"No... Athrun!" Cagalli called out.

* * *

"They'll suffer this time! The Naturals will feel our wrath!" Sato screamed as he grabbed the leg of Athrun's ZAKU, pulling him down.

Suddenly, Shinn appeared, slicing the leg off with his beam saber and kicking Sato to the surface of Junius Seven. Shinn grabbed the ZAKU and headed for the Minerva alongside John and Flay. At that very moment, a massive crack formed from where the last Breaker had gone through. Splitting the large half of the colony in two.

Athrun, Shinn, Flay and John fought to reach the Minerva. "Dammit! Those lunatics delayed us too long." John said. "We aren't going to make it."

"No. We can make it." Shinn said, pushing the Impulse to the limit.

But gravity's pull was too strong and the four fell to Earth.

* * *

Somewhere in the Marshall Islands

"Now hurry up everyone." Lacus calmly said, helping Caridad and Reverend Malchio usher into the shelter under the church.

"What is it? Where are we going?" one child asked.

"Oh I know! We're going shopping, aren't we?" a little girl asked.

"Aw... But I want to play." another said.

Lacus smiled. "No. We're not going shopping. There's a storm coming. So we need to go under the church to wait it out." she said sweetly.

Lacus glanced at the deck of their house, expecting Kira to be there. But he wasn't. The smile dropped from her face. "Kira?" she called out, searching for him.

Lacus quickly spotted him. Kira was standing on the beach. Watching the first pieces of Junius Seven streak across the sky.

* * *

Now the fun can really begin. As some of you probably guess, Miss Ryker will be the Alliance's answer to Durandal's and Meer's speeches. I have some assuming speeches planned for her. And as I said during SEED, the Alliance won't be as brutal as they were in the canon. So there won't be as much in the way of EA defectors. There will be some after the Destroy attacks, but no where near as many.

One quick question, should Yzak still have the scar? I like him better with the scar, but at the same time, I know he kept it solely as a symbol of his grudge with Kira. Which he doesn't need anymore. So scar or no scar?

Oh, and I'm not saying anything about Mr. Red ZAKU, so don't even ask. You all have to wait for that.


	7. Phase Six: The End of the World

Yo everybody! Sorry for yet another delay. I found myself going through another phase of being unable to do anything but come up with a bunch of story ideas. A couple of Gundam story ideas as well. Mostly just random crossovers with Gundam SEED and either Halo or one of the Command and Conquer universes. I may write one just for the hell of it.

Now this chapter is a bit on the short side compared to the last couple of chapters. But there's a reason for that. There were somethings that the episode that this chapter was based on that I wanted to start the next chapter with. But I did throw in a glimpse of things I have planned, not just for Destiny, but the sequel to Destiny as well.

Exia00: The Duel, Buster, Neo Blitz and Surge were all given to Morgenroete. As to the Druggies, it wasn't just the drugs. They received a number of enhancements and conditioning as well. Including the reduction of their sense of fear and increased aggression. So their personally traits wouldn't just disappear when they were taken off the drug. As to a final three-way battle, I've been entertaining the idea, but I haven't made a final decision on it.

Speaking of decisions, I will keep Yzak's scar.

**Phase Six: The End of the World**

The Minerva moved alongside the now red-hot fragment of Junius Seven as they both descended through the atmosphere. The fragment was still large enough to cause catastrophic damage to Earth. "Entering Phase 3 momentarily." Arthur said before turning to Talia. "If we wait any long, we won't be able to use the cannon ma'am."

"But we still can't locate the Impulse and the other machines." Burt said. "They may still be in the line of fire."

"Athrun..." a concerned Cagalli whispered.

They couldn't wait any longer. Talia knew that. "Activate Tannhauser." Talia ordered, causing Cagalli, Meyrin and several other members of the bridge crew. "Our mission is to prevent Junius Seven from falling intact onto Earth, no matter the cost." she explained. "Target the structure to starboard."

The Minerva started to turn towards Junius Seven as the Tannhauser emerged from the bow of the ship. "Fire!"

The first shot hit Junius Seven, tearing yet another chuck of the colony off. But it was still mostly quite large. The Tannhauser fired again, piercing the largest piece. Junius Seven shattered into dozens of smaller fragments. None of them were of a size capable of causing catastrophic damage to Earth.

As the Minerva continued it's descend, hundreds upon hundreds of fragments fell all around it. Many of the smaller ones burned up before they reached Earth. But there were still numerous debris falling to Earth.

* * *

The Marshal Islands

"Haro! Haro! We have a problem!" Haro squawked.

"What's coming?" one of the scared children asked.

"Are we going to have to be down here forever?" another added.

Lacus smiled for their sakes. They had brought the children down to the shelter underneath the church. It was deep enough underground that they would be protected from anything that hit on or near the island. "Everything will be just fine. We'll only be down here for a little while." she answered, trying to reassure them "All of this will be over very soon."

Suddenly, the shelter began to shake from the impacts of nearby debris. Many of the children began to whimper and cry. Lacus hugged the two children sitting next to her. "Everything's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Lacus then opened her mouth and began to sing, hoping to calm the children with it.

* * *

_Beneath the veil of starry sky_

_As cold as winter's darkest night_

_It's there you'll sleep, silent and deep_

_You're all alone_

* * *

Orb

"Where's mommy?" a scared, red-headed child whispered. "Are the roks gonna to get her?"

"She's fine Alexander." Elizabeth Dante replied reassuringly to her nephew, who was sitting on her lap. "She's in space. The falling rocks can't reach her there."

The young child hugged her and buried his face into her shirt and cried as they felt and heard the first impacts. Murrue Ramius and Andrew Waltfeld sat next to them, in the shelter under the mansion. It had been predicted that Orb would receive limited damage from the meteorites of Junius Seven and the aftermath of the impacts. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

Liz looked up at the ceiling as she rubbed Alexander's back. It saddened her that former home and the grave of her parents and so many of her friends was falling to Earth and causing so much death and destruction.

* * *

_A single prayer's soft melody_

_Across the lonely silent fields_

_A little light begins to shine, it shines on and on_

* * *

The PLANTs

"Damn... How bad do you think it's gonna be?" Saul Kessel asked, glancing over his shoulder as the TV reports came in.

Behind him, Nicol Amalfi sat at his piano. "Bad." the green-haired young man replied.

Without saying anything else, Nicol started to play a sad, mournful song on his piano as the fragments of Junius Seven collided with Earth.

* * *

_I watched you as you so peacefully dreamed_

_You laughed like a child, happy and care free_

_It's so familiar and yet so far_

_That's the future is promised for you and me_

* * *

Location Unknown

In the safety of his bunker, Djibril watched events play out, on the wall of screens before him. He sat in his chair, stroking the head of his cat. Behind him, stood Serena Ryker. "Let this event usher in the beginning of a new world." she said, her transfixed on the screens.

* * *

Djibril smirked. "Yes. A new world... A world ruled by us."

_One day on a green and shining morn_

_One day we will finally make through_

_Cause in this sky, so dark with winter_

* * *

The Voltaire

Chairman Durandal, along with two FAITH operatives silently watched the devastation wrought the fragments of Junius Seven. "Have you taken care of things?" Durandal asked, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Yes sir." one of the agents replied. "However, if someone is smart enough and determined enough, they could figure things out."

"True. But once the war begins, people will focus on that, not Junius Seven. And when the war is over, no one will care." Durandal said.

"Yes sir."

"Where there any problems at Armory One?"

The agent paused for moment before answering. "No sir. No problems."

* * *

_We still have to believe that it's true_

_Fields of hope...._

* * *

For just over an hour, pieces of Junius Seven rained down upon Earth. Towns and cities were devastated by fragments. Any fragment that hit land, also threw up clouds of dust into the air. The fragments that hit water sent huge tidal waves crashing onto nearby coasts, destroying homes and buildings.

"Captain, we can switch to aerodynamic control now." Arthur said.

Talia nodded. "Unfold the wings." she ordered. "Take it easy, Helm."

"Unfolding wings. Switching to atmospheric flight." the helmsman said.

"How are communications and sensors?" Talia asked.

"Offline ma'am. The fragments are interfering with the radio waves." Meyrin reported.

"Try using laser and thermal sensors. We have to the Impulse and the other machines."

"Do you think they made it down safely?" Arthur asked.

"After firing the Tannhauser, I have no idea." Talia admitted. "But I hope so."

* * *

A burnt and badly damaged ZAKU Warrior fell through the sky. "I guess you can't go through reentry without a booster." Athrun said as he tried to keep the ZAKU in the air for as long as possible.

"Athrun! Athrun!" a voice called out on the radio.

"Shinn, is that you?"

"Yeah! It's me." Shinn replied. "Hang on, I'm on my way."

"No, don't! Even the Impulse doesn't have enough thrust to stop two machines from falling." Athrun warned.

"Who ever said he was alone?" another voice said as the ZAKU suddenly shuttered.

The Impulse and the Farsight had grabbed onto the ZAKU, slowing it's descent. "Why do you always have to be so noble and say stuff like that?" an annoyed Shinn asked.

"I don't know. I find that being too noble is better than being someone like you with no nobility at all." John commented.

"Hey! I'm-"

"Have either of you seen Flay?" Athrun asked, interrupting the two.

"I'm right here." Flay said, bring the Strike Raven alongside the three mobile suits.

"Now let's just hope we find the Minerva, or failing that, land." John said. "Otherwise, we could be in for some serious trouble."

At that very moment, a flare flew up ahead of them. The Minerva was ahead of them.

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

A Short While Later

Cagalli ran through the hanger, heading for the damaged ZAKU as Athrun climbed out. "Athrun!" she called out as she reached the ZAKU, gasping for air.

But before she could say anything else, there was a loud explosion and the ship rumbled briefly. "What was that? What's happening?" a worried Vino asked.

"Those were shockwaves. They've just gone all around world." Rey quietly explained.

"Have we been able to reach Orb?" Flay asked Cagalli as she approached the group, a slight, desperate tone was noticeable in voice.

"No. The dust is blocking any and all signals we send." she replied. "Don't worry, they would have taken refuge in the shelter before the debris hit."

"It doesn't matter much at the moment." John said as he joined the group. "We need to get you to Orb Cagalli immediately."

"But why? I mean I know I need to get to back to Orb after what's happened, but I-"

"No. You don't understand. Junius Seven falling to Earth was not an accident." John replied. "It was dropped intentionally. The men and women piloting those rogue GINNs were also the ones that caused Junius Seven to fall."

His words surprised everyone save for Athrun, Shinn and Flay. "What?! But why? Why would anyone want to do that?" Cagalli asked.

"They were supporters of Patrick Zala's beliefs and soldiers that lost their families at Junius Seven." John answered.

"Despite our actions, a lot of fragments still fell to Earth." Athrun grimly added. "We couldn't stop it completely." He paused for moment. "Even though it was caused by a small group, all anyone will remember is that they were Coordinators."

John let out a tired sigh. "This could be the second-coming of the Bloody Valentine. We _need_ to get you back to Orb as soon as possible."

* * *

Aprilius One

An Hour Later

"Rome, Shanghai, the Gobi Desert, Quebec, Philadelphia, the North Atlantic. There's no way of telling how high the death toll will rise. A horrific tragedy. But I'm afraid the worst is yet to come." Durandal said to the young woman sitting on the couch behind him. "Are you prepared to help me?"

"Yes Chairman." the girl replied. "I will do whatever you need me to do."

Unseen by the girl, Durandal smiled.

* * *

The Minerva

The Minerva had landed on the Pacific Ocean. The crew was taking break before they started repairing the Minerva. Many of the younger crewmen were on the outer decks of the ship, admiring the vast ocean before them. Above them, the gray dust clouds still lingered, but there were a few beams of sunlight were poking through the cloud cover.

"So you ever been to Earth before?" Tristan asked his teammate.

Gekido just shrugged.

"I've been to Earth a couple before the war. But this is the first time I've been here since the war." Tristan sighed. "I wonder how bad the damage was."

"Pretty bad in the areas that were hit. But at least Earth's still here." Gekido replied.

Tristan nodded. "Yeah."

Flay was on the deck as well, leaning against the hull and staring at her locket in her hand. "Hey. Who are those two?" Luna asked, startling Flay. "Is that your baby brother?"

"Ah... No. That's Alexander. ...My son."

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh... Er...Sorry."

Flay shook her head. "Don't be. He was one of the few bright spots of the war for me."

"You fought in the war?"

"No. Not really. I was on Heliopolis when it was attacked and I ended up on the Archangel. For a time, I serve on that ship. And that's where I fell in love with Alexander's father." Flay replied. "He was the pilot of the Raven."

"Is that him?" Luna asked, pointing to Chris's picture.

"Yes. But he never got to met his son. He died at Jachin Due."

"I'm sorry."

* * *

_One Week After The Battle of Jachin Due_

_Orb_

_A group of people gathered before the make-shift memorial. It had been made from a damaged head of an Orb Astray that had been destroyed during the Battle of Orb. Written on the side facing the people, were the words, 'In memory of those that fought and died in defense of Orb, and all those that died in the Bloody Valentine War.' Below those words, numerous pictures of fallen Orb soldiers and the members of the Orb government that sacrificed themselves with Uzumi Nara Athha. But alongside their pictures, were pictures of the other fallen soldiers. Crewmen and pilots from the Archangel, the Eternal, the Kusanagi and the 11th Fleet that had died in the battles in space were there._

_General Samuel Dante approached the memorial and turned to face the group. "For us, the storm has passed. The war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure, sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that the war could be ended without one side wiping out the other. As we start to rebuild our homes, a monument shall rise here. A memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."_

_Samuel then turned and saluted the memorial. "Present arms!" the sergeant of seven man Honor Guard called out._

_The soldiers lifted up their rifles and fired off three volleys. As they fired, some people started to walk towards the memorial, leaving flowers next to photos of friends of loved ones. Miriallia placed a bouquet of flowers underneath Tolle's photo. Behind her, stood Dearka. Miri's eyes began to water as she put a hand to her mouth, trying to suppress her sobs. Dearka put his hands on her shoulders, comforting her as they walked away._

_Flay was about to approach the memorial, when a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. It was Kira. "Flay... I'm sorry about what happened." he said, unable to look her in the eyes as his eyes watered. "If I had-"_

"_It wasn't your fault. He died saving your life, my life and our child's life." she said, fighting back her own tears. "He would have done it regardless of you could have done."_

_The two cried as they embraced each other in hug._

* * *

"Don't be. He died saving a friend, my life and our child's life. He would have done it anyway." Flay said.

Nearby, Cagalli and Athrun stared out into the ocean together. Cagalli turned to Athrun. "Are you all right, Athrun?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Athrun replied.

"You had me worried." Cagalli admitted. "You never told that you were going out in a mobile suit."

A small smile crossed Athrun's lips. "I should have told you about that. Sorry."

"No, that's alright. I know how good you are." she said. "And to be honest, I'm a little glad that you did go out and help. Thanks to your efforts and the efforts of everyone else, the damage to the planet was lessened considerably."

To Athrun, it didn't feel like much of an accomplishment. There had still been a great deal of damage done to the planet from the fragments. And if the people of Earth found out that it wasn't an accident, and that a group of Coordinators were responsible, things would only get worse.

"Excuse me, may I speak with Athrun alone?" John asked as he approached the pair.

"Ah... Yeah, sure." Cagalli said before she walked away from the two.

"Take a walk with me Athrun." John said as he started heading back inside the ship, Athrun following after him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Athrun answered.

"Really? Well if I were you, I don't think I would be." John commented. "The men that caused this incident were fanatics to your father's cause. In many ways, this his legacy." He turned his head to Athrun, but Athrun found himself unable to meet his gaze. "You are not your father, Athrun. Nor are you responsible for his actions and the consciences of his actions. Stop blaming yourself for what he did and stop thinking that you could have reasoned with him and stopped his madness. He had chosen long before the Bloody Valentine. That tragedy only spurred him on. Stop doubting yourself and walk your path, Athrun. That's all I can say."

* * *

The Girty Lue

Neo entered the lab of the third generation Extended. Dr. Mikhail Andras was there, humming as he typed on a small terminal. Next to him, Treize was heavily strapped onto a table. His limbs were bound with multiple leather straps while metal clamps were holding his head in place. A number of wires were connected to his skull from the terminal. Treize's appeared lifeless, aside from his steady breathing and the occasional facial and hand twitch.

Unlike the second generation of Extended, the third generation could not handle repeated mental modifications. It would weaken and corrupt their programming. And if that happened, no one could control them. But they still required regular inspection and maintenance on their programming every couple of weeks. And the only person allowed to do that was their creator, Dr. Andras.

The doctor finished his typing in a command and pressed the Execute button. Treize let out a gasp. The life returned to his mismatched eyes. After a few seconds, a look of pure hatred filled those eyes. "I will...make...you...pay..." he rasped as he weakly struggled against his bonds. "I...will...kill...you..."

Neo was taken back Treize's words. "What did you do to him?"

"I forgot that this is your first time watching one of these sessions. Don't worry. In order to properly inspect his programming, I must deactivate it. This is just the last shreds of the original subject's mind." Andras commented, his eyes focus on the computer screen in front of him. "If you think he's bad, you should see 1004. Her mind is completely shattered. In fact, her programming is the only thing keeping her sane. But she serves her purpose. As do the others. Now you said that 1304 was having the same difficulties with the ZAFT forces, correct?"

"Yes."

"That just won't do." Andras said, once again typing away. "1304 is the zenith of all the research and experiments we have done. There shouldn't be anyone capable of stopping him."

"Well, Treize and the others-"

"Treize. You know I've wondered why you gave the EX-C Units names." the doctor said, interrupting him. "They are weapons, nothing more. Giving them names is pointless. They exist only to fight and kill. They are true soldiers. Devoid of self-preservation, mercy, fear, regret and morals. But they are not human. Hence, there is no need to treated as such."

Truthfully, Neo hated this man. He had seen firsthand Dr. Andras's final test for the EX-C Units. A free-for-all between the thirty-four EX-C Units. The battle lasted for just over two hours, when there were only five bloody Extended left. He had asked Andras why, if they had thirty-four completed Units, were they subjecting them to such a trail. Andras replied that the drugs that sustained them were too expensive to keep more than half a dozen. He believed that the final combat test was the effective way to 'cut the chaff from the wheat while burning the chaff at the same time' as he had said. Neo knew that man had done even worse over the years as well. "It's easier to call by a name rather than by their numbers all the time." he answered.

Andras typed in a final sting of commands and pressed Execute again. Treize let out a loud, pained scream as he thrashed against his bonds. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he stopped screaming, collapsing into unconsciousness. "There. Maintenance and readjustments complete." he said, unstrapping Treize from the table.

A moment later, Treize's eyes opened. "Sirs." he said, sitting up. Seemingly unaware of what just happened. "Is my maintenance complete?"

"Yes 1304. Put your mask back on and return to your quarters for rest. Report any anomalies immediately" the doctor ordered.

Treize grabbed his mask from a nearby table and left the lab. "Do not worry, Captain Roanoke. 1304 will be operating at maximum performance from now on." Andras said.

Neo raised his eyebrow, though it was hidden behind his mask. "Even against that new white machine and our former machines?"

"Yes. Even if those three are still alive and piloting those machines, I guarantee that he'll bring you that heads of those machines." Andras replied with a smirk. "After all, he is my greatest work of art. My masterpiece."

* * *

The Minerva's Bridge

"What's the status on communications?" Talia asked.

"We still can't get through ma'am." Burt answered.

Talia sighed. "The status on the repairs?"

"Within a few hours, we'll be able to head to Carpentaria for full repairs." Arthur replied.

"May I make a suggestion Captain? Orb is closer then Carpentaria." John said. "The Chief Representative needs to get back to Orb as soon as possible. The Orb government would be grateful for personally returning the Chief Representative. Enough so that they would be obligated to repay you by helping out with repairs on the Minerva."

Talia nodded, seeing the logic in his suggestion. "I agree. Arthur, when the repairs are complete, set course for Orb."

* * *

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

A masked man sat down at desk covered with a number of monitors and a lone console. He pushed a button on the condole, the screens came to live, revealing group of masked individuals. "Junius Seven has fallen. The war will soon begin." the leader of the group, known as the Prophet, said. His mask was pure black with no facial features, mouth hole or eye holes. "Is everything position?"

"Yes sir." Void answered. His mask was dark blue with purple vortex covering the center of the mask. "Durandal is already preparing a major speech for the people as well as a massive relief effort to be sent to Earth."

"The recording?"

Void nodded. "It has been sent to Djibril. And per your orders, I am keeping the other materials until they are needed."

"Excellent. There is one other thing I would like you to do. I have recently learned of a young woman that Durandal has located and is planning to use for his goals. She could be quite useful in the aftermath of the war. With the proper and motivation, of course. Keep an agent close to her at all times."

"As you wish."

"Harlequin, report." the Prophet ordered. "What is the status of the other side?"

"Fortunately, the Alliance secured their equipment in the danger areas before the incident was made public." Harlequin reported. The right half of her mask was a beautiful, grinning face. The left half, a scarred, weeping face. "However, we just received word that Lodonia has been severely damaged by meteorites. They are already preparing to relocate the important personnel to the secondary facility before they liquidate the facility and the expendable personnel and test subjects."

"An unfortunate turn of events. I want that new facility to remind hidden and secured. Make sure there are no traces of it within the Alliance's records. It must not be found. We cannot afford to lose so many future soldiers. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"What of Orb?"

"As expected, the pressure from the Atlantic Federation as pushed the Seirans into seeking to bring Orb into the Earth Alliance, to prevent a repeat of the Invasion of Orb during the last war. I predict that they will likely try to manipulate the Chief Representative while usurping her power. Essentially making her a puppet for their government."

The Prophet chuckled. "So much for the so-called 'Neutral Nation of Orb'. If we're fortunate, that selfish, pitiful nation will burn by the end of this war." he said, his voice filled with contempt for the nation of Orb. "If there is nothing else to bring up, continue carrying out your orders as planned. I will contact you when and if the need arises." the Prophet paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating something. "Once this war has ended, regardless of the winner, everything will be in position to begin our operations. Then humanity's future will be in the hands of those worthy to guide humanity down the correct path. Free from those that bring destruction and stagnation to humanity. Free from the weak, spineless fools to refuse to change the world for the better. The reformation is coming. Soon, my brothers and sisters. Soon."

* * *

Alright, all done. I can't really think of anything else to say besides, as always, review!


	8. Phase Seven: Land of Confusion

Yo everybody! I'm back! I had hoped to get this chapter done by Saturday, but it didn't turn out that way. I blame Halo 3 ODST for that. A very kick ass game that ate up too much of my time.

Now, there is one thing I would like to talk about before I begin. In the entire C.E. universe, there is only one character that I really, really hate. Yuna. I just can't stand the little creep. And I use an OC to attack him and the whole plan of the Seirans. It was a big rant and I know that some people are gonna bug me about it. So I just want to say that it was just a one time rant that I needed to get out of my system. It's not going to happen again and I would actually used a SEED character, but it just didn't fit any of them.

**Phase Seven: Land of Confusion**

Aprilius One

Chairman Durandal took the podium and took a deep breath as the crews went through the final preparations for the broadcast. The worst of the dust clouds had scattered from the skies of Earth, allowing them to broadcast to Earth as well as the PLANTs.

"Ready Your Excellency?"

Durandal nodded. "Yes. I am ready."

"Then we'll begin in five…four…three…two…one…"

"Greetings people of ZAFT and Earth. I have come to you because of the terrible tragedy that has befallen the Earth. There are no words that can convey the sorrow that we are all feeling right now. The fall of Junius Seven has been an accident of unprecedented proportion. The-"

"_That is a lie..."_

Static suddenly filled the screens behind the Chairman. Durandal stopped. "What? What's happening?" he demanded.

"It appears that someone has hacked into the broadcast, sir." a technician answered.

"Who?"

"Unknown. But we are trying to stop them."

A young dark haired woman appeared on the screen, clad in a white EA uniform, standing behind a podium with an Earth Alliance flag draped down the front of it. Behind the woman was a large screen, displaying the same flag. She appeared to be of African or Middle Eastern descent. _"People of Earth, a terrible tragedy _has_ befallen us. Cities have__ been__ devastated. Countless lives have__ been__ lost. A horrible__, horrible__ accident... Or at least that's what Chairman Durandal of ZAFT would have you believe. The truth is that is was not an __accident. But an attack on us;__ a__ deliberate attack on us!"_

Durandal's eyes widened. This was Djibril's doing. It had to be.

Images of black and purple GINNs setting up Flare Motors appeared on the screen behind the female speaker. _"Now undoubtedly, Durandal will claim that these are nothing more than terrorists, working on their own. And that may be true. But I find myself asking, how could they get so many Flare Motors and mobile suits to move Junius Seven so quickly? Such a group couldn't manufacture such machines. And if they had been stolen from ZAFT, surely someone would have noticed and said something. __I can personally say; that on behalf of the Earth Alliance, no such devices were stolen from us. __Which could only mean one __thing;__ they were given to the terrorists."_

Durandal paled as he heard those words. This woman was going to ruin everything. He had to stop her now. "Cut the feed! Now!" he shouted.

"We've already tried, sir. It's no good. Someone has hacked our systems. We can't stop them."

"_I know what you are all thinking right now. 'Who would help out a group of terrorists that sought to destroy the Earth?' The answer is simple."_ She thrust a finger, accusingly at the screen. _"The people__ that fear and hate __us, th__e __people __who make__ Earth__ our home__. The same people that built GENESIS and tried to destroy the entire planet with it. The same people that are still running ZAFT."_

Durandal scowled. He had an idea of where this was heading.

"_Durandal would have you all believe that he and ZAFT were not responsible for the actions of those few individuals. And maybe that's true. But yet, a fair number of ZAFT ships were clos__e enough to respond to crisis, i__ncluding ZAFT's infamous 11__th__ Fleet and their brand new warship." "Now doesn't that sound odd. One of ZAFT__'s__ best units and their new warship just so happened to be in the same area__,__ just as this crisis was unfolding. Now Durandal would have you believe that this was all a coincidence. But that is a lie. He knew Junius Seven was going to fall to Earth and he made sure that ZAFT's forces would be in position to minimize the damage to our world. Why? Simple. To trick you, all of you, into believing that ZAFT and Chairman Durandal saved your from an unexpected disaster. Why? I do not know. Perhaps, Durandal wants you all to see ZAFT as your saviors, so you would be willing to bow to ZAFT__ when the time came__.__ To be their obedient pets when the time came.__ To be their slaves!__" _The girl slammed her fists on the podium in front of her, earning cheers from an unseen crowd._ "People of Earth, take ZAFT's aid as you wish, but resist their lies. Ignore Durandal's false __words and __promises. Demand that he and his allies admit their crimes and receive the justice they deserve. And fight against those that would manipulate and control you from the hourglasses of space."_ She thrust her fist into the air. _"For__ the future of our world and it__s people!"_

"_For__ the future of our world and it__s people!!"_ the coward cheered, thrusting their own fists into the air as well.

* * *

The Minerva

Many of the Minerva pilots and crew members had been watching the broadcast from the ship's lounge. All of them were shocked by what had just happened.

"Whoa… Do you think that what she said was true?" a stunned Vino asked. "Were we there because the Chairman wanted us to be there?"

"No. It's just anti-Coordinator propaganda." Rey answered immediately. "The Chairman would never endanger Earth like that."

"Does that mean there's going to be another war?" a voice asked from the back of the lounge.

It was Shani, the only Orb pilot present, was sitting in a corner of the room, his headphones on his ears. Shinn scowled at him. "Better you would love that. More people for you to kill."

"Shinn, that's enough." Rey said, trying to prevent another fight.

Shani didn't say anything, unlike Shinn. "You and your teammates just love to kill people. Another war would be just another excuse for you to start killing people again." he ranted. "People like you make me sick. You don't give a damn about the people you've killed."

But Shani didn't react, slipping back into his own world, which only infuriated Shinn further. Shani didn't care what he said. To him, most people were loud and annoying, or like Azrael. Only the angel was different everyone else. Because she was the only one that had ever truly cared for him.

"If only your parents could see you now. You're nothing but an animal."

"Shinn! That's enough!"

Shani's eyes widened. His parents? A forgotten memory from his past resurfaced at that moment.

"_No daddy! Please! I'll do better! I promise!" he pleaded with his father._

_He had disappointed him again. No matter how hard he tried, he could never please him._

"_It's clear that you are a failure. And I will not tolerate a failure for son." his father said, his voice filled with disgust._

"_But I can do better!"_

"_No. I have a better use for you. You're going to become something useful, one way or another."_

Shani screamed, clutching his head in agony, startling everyone. Red filled Shani's vision. Before anyone could react, Shani jumped up, his hands wrapping around Shinn's throat as he let out an animalist roar. Shinn fell backwards, Shani landing on top of him, trying to strangle the life out of the ZAFT pilot. Rey, Vino, Yolant and some other crew members raced to Shinn's side, fighting to pull the green haired young man off of him.

But that was easier said than done. Shani had a powerful, vice-like grip on Shinn's throat. It didn't look like they would be able to overpower Shani in time…

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Shani's neck and head, locking him in a sleeper hold. Shani let out a rasping gasp, his grip on Shinn loosening. Rey and Yolant managed to pry his hands off Shinn and John pulled Shani off of him. Shani fought against John as he struggled to breathe. Pretty soon, Shani's struggling lessened as he started to pass out. His body went limp and John broke the hold. John then carefully set Shinn on the ground. "Okay… What happened? What did you say to him?" he asked, his eyes locked on Shinn.

Shinn was still panting, recovering from the attack. "Me? He's the one that attack me!" he exclaimed as he stood up.

John shook his head. "I know Shani. He isn't violent unless he's in the cockpit or provoked." he explained. "He wouldn't attack you unless you started it. So out with it, what happened?"

"Shinn was yelling at him after he asked if there was going to be a war." Rey answered. "I apologize for his conduct, but your pilot was clearly out of line as well."

John nodded. "I know. I'll throw him in the brig for awhile and see if that calms him down." He turned to Shinn. "You, help me carry him."

"What? Why should I?"

"Cause I said so, Shinn." Suiren said as she stepped into the lounge. "And last time I check, I am your superior officer."

Shinn grumbled. I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. What was that?" Suiren asked.

"Yes ma'am."

John lifted Shani up, holding him by one side. Shinn reluctantly grabbed Shani's other side, and the two headed for the brig.

"I want to talk to you about Shani and the others. I know you blame them for what happened at Orb. And they do bare some of the blame for what happened. But they are victims as much as you are." John said as they headed towards the ship's brig.

"Don't give me that garbage. They aren't victims. They're monsters."

"How little you understand." John commented. "Let me ask you this, what are they, Coordinators or Naturals?"

"Naturals obviously." Shinn replied.

"No. They aren't, nor are they Coordinators."

"That's impossible."

"You see, sometime either before the war started, or sometime just after it started, they were collected by Blue Cosmos and sent to a facility somewhere on Earth. There, horrible things were done to them. Horrific procedures were preformed on them. Procedures designed to strip them of their humanity and turn them into living, anti-Coordinator weapons."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. When we recovered them, they were harsh withdraw from powerful and highly addictive combat drugs, which had been designed to boost their abilities and to ensure their loyal through their addiction to the drug. However, prolonged exposure to the drugs had cause serious damage to their bodies, particularly their nervous systems. For months, they were in a state of pure agony as doctors fought to keep them alive and to help them recover. But even after that, they're still suffering from what was done to them."

"You see, one of the procedures they were subjected to, robbed them of their memories. They don't know where they came from, if they have family still out there or even if the names they're using are their real names. In many ways, they're worse off than you Shinn. They have no idea who they were, beyond small bits of memories, nor do they truly belong with Naturals or Coordinators. All they know is combat and the only place they seem to belong, is in the cockpit of a mobile suit. Frankly, that's no life to live."

"Trying to get me to pity them?" Shinn asked, his voice filled with contempt.

"No. I'm trying to get you to _understand_ them, not pity them." John replied as they entered the brig. "Not everything is black and white, Shinn. If you view the world only in black and whites, then enemies and war will always be there, lying around the next corner."

Shinn didn't say anything as they opened a cell and placed Shani inside. They then closed and locked the cell. "Are we done here?" Shinn rudely asked.

John sighed. The kid was stubborn, he'd give him that much. "Yes. You may leave."

* * *

Within hours of the broadcast, people all over the planet began to lash out the ZAFT forces that were providing aid to them. Many tolerated their help until they were no longer in any immediate danger or Alliance forces arrived. Then they would lash out the Coordinators. But there were those that wouldn't even allow that. They attacked the ZAFT personnel, throwing rocks and debris at them as they yelled and ranted at them. In numerous cities that hadn't been devastated by the event becoming known as Break the World, anti-ZAFT riots started, demanding that Durandal and ZAFT answer for the event.

"Wonderful. Simply wonderful." Djibril said with glee, watching events unfold from his bunker. "As predicted, the people are up in arms against Durandal and the Coordinators."

"Indeed. Soon the war will begin again and the foundation of humanity's future will be set."

Djibril raised up a glass of wine, swirling the contents of the glass. "We're already preparing for the attack on the PLANTs themselves, including our new Peacemaker Force. Soon the PLANTs will be finished."

"I've told you before, Djibril, a nuclear strike against the PLANTs at this stage, is ill-advised, and bluntly, a stupid mistake."

Djibril scowled and turned to the speaker. The only screen that didn't should news reports. Instead, it showed an individual wearing a faceless black mask. Gabriel, as the man called himself, though many of the masked man's subordinates called him the Prophet. He was the one that had helped bring Djibril and Durandal together to plan out the opening act. Though Gabriel's motives, as well as his identity, were a mystery to him. Gabriel claimed that his goals and the goals of LOGOS were close even that if the Alliance found the war, his goal would be achieved.

Djibril still didn't trust him and his group. He would use them to further his own goals and when the time came, he would eliminate the group.

"Durandal is no fool. He will expect us to target the PLANTs first. Your Peacemaker Force will be walking straight into a trap. Not only that, but the weak-minded fools out there will have second thoughts after seeing us attempting to wipe them out so soon." Gabriel explained. "But I do have an alternative plan in mind. One that will greatly weaken the defensive line of the PLANTs for months to come, and will give us the time to stoke the fires of hatred on Earth to the point where the people will be screaming at us to wipe out the Coordinators."

Djibril stroked his chin. "Tell me your plan."

* * *

Durandal's Office

Durandal sat down at his desk, rubbing the bridge of his nose. That broadcast had been an unexpected surprise.

He had expected a rebuttal from the Earth Alliance after his speech. But he hadn't expected them in interrupt his own speech. Worse, it implied that someone was working for the Alliance in ZAFT. Someone that had known when he was going to make his speech and would be able to cut him off as he gave the speech to the masses. It could only be someone of importance within ZAFT itself. The thought of someone in such a high position working for the Alliance, chilled him to the bone.

Durandal activated the terminal in his desk. He needed to contact ZAFT's Intelligence Agency. The face of a dark skinned man appeared. Nathaniel Abaddon, the Director of ZAFT Intelligence. "Mr. Abaddon, I trust you were watching that broadcast."

He had black eyes and his head was completely hairless. There was a large scar covering much of his left cheek. "Of course, Chairman. I've already assembled a team to investigate how they managed to interrupt your broadcast."

"Good. Also, I want you to learn all you can about that woman. It seems that Djibril still has a few surprises. And I wish to be ready for as many of them as I can."

"As you wish, Chairman Durandal."

Durandal cut the line, ending the conversation. The PLANT Chairman sighed. This whole situation had given him a headache. He had hoped that after Break the World and the speech he had written would cause many of the people on Earth to turn against the idea of war. But now, those hopes were dashed. Djibril had effectively changed things in an unexpected way. And worse, he wasn't even sure what else that man may have planned as well. He knew he would have to be more careful from now on.

* * *

Onogoro Island

Orb

The Minerva slowly entered the dry-dock. Once the mighty ship was position, the locks slid into place and the water quickly drained. Captain Talia, her XO, Arthur, Cagalli, Athrun, Flay, John, Suiren and Rey were the first to disembark from the ship, greeted by a crowd of Orb officials.

"Cagalli!" Yuna Seiran called out as the group climbed the stairs.

"Yuna." Cagalli said as the man embraced her in an unwanted hug.

"Thank goodness you're alright." he said. "I was so worried about you."

Cagalli squirmed in the man's grasp, trying to break free while Athrun looked away from the scene. "Ah… Um… Sorry about that."

Unato Seiran stepped forward. "Yuna, I know how you must feel, but this isn't the place. You're making the ZAFT officers uncomfortable."

Cagalli finally managed to break free from Yuna. "Unato Ema Seiran." She said, approaching the Prime Minister.

Unato and much of his entourage bowed their head. "Lady Cagalli. Welcome home." Unato greeted. "It's a tremendous relief to have you back, safe and sound.

"Forgive me for being absent during such an important time. What is damage assessment?"

"The coastal areas have been hit hard by large waves, but fortunately, Orb itself was spared." Unato answered. "I'll give you the full report when you return to the capital building."

Talia stepped forward, alerting the Orb officials of her presence. As they turned to her, she saluted. "I am Captain Talia Gladys of the Minerva."

"And I am the Executive Officer of the Minerva, Arthur Trine." Arthur added, saluting as well.

"I am the Prime Minister of the Orb Union, Unato Ema Seiran." Unato said, returning the greeting. "I speak for all of us when I express our gratitude to all of you for safely returning the Chief Representative to us."

"Thank you, but it was the least we could do." Talia replied. "Though it was unexpected and unintentional, we regret putting Representative Athha in danger and taking her away from her homeland during such a crisis. Furthermore, we offer our condolences for the tragedy that has happened."

"We appreciate your kind words." Unato said. "I'm sure that you and your crew are exhausted from what you've been through. Please, feel free to allow your crew to disembark and receive some well deserved rest."

"Thank you."

Unato turned to Cagalli. "We should make our way to the meeting now." He told her. "There are urgent matters that you need to be informed of."

"I understand." Cagalli replied.

Yuna wrapped an arm around Cagalli's shoulder, pulling her with him and his father. Cagalli's head turned over her shoulder, looking back at Athrun. Yuna noticed this and turned to Athrun as well. "Oh, thank you for keeping the Chief Representative save, Alex."

Athrun bowed his head. "You're welcome." He said as politely as he could to the man with his arm on Cagalli.

"We won't need your report until later, so why don't you take some time to rest too." Yuna suggested as he led Cagalli towards the limo.

Athrun sighed as the two entered the limo and left. "You know, you really should just tell her, before she does something stupid." Flay whispered to him.

Athrun's cheeks redden. He opened his mouth to say something when a child's voice shouted out, "Mommy!"

A tall, well-built but old Orb officer emerged from the crowd, a red-haired toddler riding on his shoulders. "Alex!" Flay called out, rushing past the others.

The man pulled the child off of his shoulder and set him down. The child half-walked, half-waddled, towards his mother. "Oh, I missed you so much." Flay said, lifting her son up in a hug, relieved that he was fine. "I was so worried about you."

"Me too mommy." The child said, burying his head in his mother's chest.

Both Rey and Suiren could tell that this child was…different.

Flay turned towards the Minerva crew members, Alex still in her arms. "This is my son, Alex." she explained. "Say hello Alex."

Alex did say something, but it wasn't hello. "Don't like you." he said, glaring at Rey. "You're a bad guy. You hurt mommy and took daddy away."

Rey raised an eyebrow questioningly at the child while Flay's face was a mixture of shock and embarrassment. "I'm sorry. He's never been like this before. He's normally quite friendly." she apologized. "Alex, say you're sorry to the nice man."

"No!" Alex yelled, vigorously shaking his head. "He's a bad man."

Flay sighed. "I'm sorry. He's a very stubborn child sometimes."

"Don't worry about it." Rey said.

"Why don't you take the little tyke home Flay." John suggested. "I'll see to it that your machine is unloaded."

Flay nodded. "Thank you."

"Murrue and Andy are waiting for you two in the lobby. They'll take you home." Samuel said. "I'd take there myself, but I suspect that Cagalli will need my help at the moment."

"I understand."

Samuel nodded and started walking away. Flay, still holding Alex, left as well, heading for the lobby. It didn't take them long to find Murrue and Andy. "Hello Flay. It's good to see that you made it back alright." Murrue greeted.

"Yeah. This little tyke's handful to take of." Andrew added.

"Says the man who gave the kid a sip of coffee." Murrue said in annoyed tone.

"Hey! How was I suppose to know that the kid would be bouncing off the walls for hours like that." An embarrassed Waltfeld replied.

Flay laughed for a moment. "It's a relief to see that Orb survived undamaged and that you're alright. Even after we broke up Junius Seven, I was still worried that Orb had been hit hard by the debris." she admitted.

"Yeah. We all made it through alright. Though Malchio's orphanage was badly damaged by large waves from the impact." Andy explained. "Don't worry. No one was hurt. Kira, Lacus and the children are staying with us for the moment. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not."

"Then we should be heading back."

The four of them left, heading to here Murrue and Andy had parked their car. It didn't take them long to find it. Andy took the driver's seat with Murrue taking the seat next to him. Flay strapped Alex into a child seat in the back seats before taking the seat next to him.

"Alex, why did you say that Rey hurt me and took away your father?"Flay asked as they headed home.

"Cause I saw it. He hurt you and took daddy away." Alex answered.

Flay shook her head. "No, you're wrong. That wasn't him. The wicked man that did that was someone else, and he's gone."

"No. That's him with no..." Alex paused, searching for the word with his limited vocabulary, his hand waving across his face. "White face."

At that moment, Rau Le Creuset's sneering, masked face entered Flay's mind. "You mean mask?"

Alex nodded.

Flay was stunned. She had never spoken of Le Creuset to him. So how could her son know that? And she wasn't the only one. Both Andy and Murrue were shocked his words as well. "Alex, how did you know that? Did someone tell you about the bad man?"

"No. I saw it."

Now the three of them were dumbstruck. Alex was describing a man that had died before he was born. Someone that he had never seen or heard of. "But how? That all happened before you were born." Flay asked, deeply worried about her son's words.

Alex shrugged. "I saw it." he repeated.

"When?"

Again, her son shrugged. "Don't know. Just did."

* * *

The Orb Union Parliament Building

"What?! You're preparing to sign a treaty with the Atlantic Federation?!"

Cagalli was shocked beyond belief. The Orb Union had always striven to maintain their neutrality since the formation of the nation. Their pledge of neutrality had been part of the foundation of the Orb Union. To turn their backs to it, especially in a time like this, was wrong. "How could you be even thinking about that at time like this? Our priorities at the moment should be providing relief and support efforts to the areas that have been hit the hardest by this disaster!" Cagalli said, protesting the very idea of a treaty that would break their neutrality.

Unato opened his mouth to speak, when someone cut him off. "It's simple, Lady Cagalli. These people are cowards." Samuel Dante said, entering the room, a file folder in his hands.

Yuna rose from his seat. "General Dante, this is private meeting involving the heads of the Orb government. A military officer has no right to be here."

Samuel stepped up to the young man, towering over him by a head. "I am one of Lady Cagalli's advisors. Therefore, I able to be present at any meeting she is a part of." he answered, staring Yuna down. "If you have a problem with that, I'm sure we can _discuss_ this out in the hallway."

Yuna gulped and wisely took his seat. Samuel cleared his throat and continued to speak. "I know all of you quite well. When the Earth Alliance invaded Orb during the last war, all of you were among the first to flee, while the leaders of Orb stayed behind and laid down their lives for Orb and its people. In fact, I know for a fact that the Seirans tried to force the ship they boarded to flee the moment they stepped on board, which would have stranded hundreds of people."

Many of the officials hung their heads in shame or bore expressions of guilt, while those that didn't glared at those who did with disgust and contempt. "All of you disgust me. You would just turn you backs on Orb's ideals, the same ideals that many of your fellows died for."

"But if we don't sign the treaty and a war breaks out, we could find ourselves under attack without any allies." one minister argued.

"But if a war does break out and we have signed a treaty with the Atlantic Federation, we will be forced to fight someone else's war! Orb ceases to be a neutral nation and instead becomes a prime target for the enemies of the Atlantic Federation. But then again, what do you people care. Unless Orb itself is attacked, a war would be meaningless to you all. You won't be fighting in it. Your children won't be fighting in it. But these children will." Samuel grabbed the contents of the file folder and threw them across the table. They were photos of young men and women that were serving in Orb's military. "If you sign that treaty and a war does break out, these are ones that will fight and die in it. Remember these faces well. They may not be your children, but they are all someone's child. They and their families deserve your consideration. Personally, I have seen enough children because of our mistakes."

"Enough, General Dante. Your rhetoric will not solve anything." Unato said. "Orb isn't the only nation being approached by the Atlantic Federation. Every nation that is not a member of the Earth Alliance has been approached by them, and nearly all of them have joined the Alliance already. If we don't sign the treaty, we run the risk of being attacked by them in a war, or by ZAFT. And we all know how that will play out."

"You forget that if we join the Alliance and war does break out with ZAFT, we'll become a major target for ZAFT." the General replied.

"But we would have the support of the Earth Alliance military to aid in our defence."

"True. But you're advocating that we should shackle ourselves to Alliance like everyone else? The people of Orb and our nation's technology becoming tools for the Alliance in a war. Our military and Morgenroete would be little more than slaves to the Alliance."

"You're mistaken. The Alliance wouldn't do that to us." Yuna argued.

Samuel laughed. "Are you saying that the same Alliance that would attack us again if a war broke out, to take our Mass Driver and Morgenroete, wouldn't exploit us if we joined them? You can't be that stupid, Yuna."

"What-I-I How dare you?! I am not stupid!!" Yuna shouted at Samuel. "The Alliance wouldn't do that to us, because we'd be their allies!"

Samuel shook his head. "I'm not going to waste my breath on explaining the power structure of the Earth Alliance and how we would fit in such a structure to someone who is too mentally immature to grasp such concepts."

"I said enough!" Unato yelled, hitting his fist on the table. "We're trying to have a serious discussion on an important matter. If the two of you are going to continue like this, then I'm going to have to ask you both to leave."

"What?! But father-"

"Be quiet, Yuna, unless you have something important to say."

Samuel sighed. "I'm sorry. But I am passionate about preserving Orb's neutrality." He paused, staring at the people sitting at the table. "I know you are all afraid that Orb will become another target if another war breaks out. But the problem is, we will always be a target in this world. That is our curse for the technological and economic wealth we have. If we are neutral, neither ZAFT nor the Alliance would have a valid reason for attacking us. But the second we sign that treaty with the Atlantic Federation, or a treaty like that one with any other major nation, we become a major target for their enemies of that nation. And if the nation we sign a treaty with is stronger than us, they can easily strong arm us into following their orders completely. Lady Cagalli, all of you, we must stay neutral to preserve our independence."

"A very rousing speech, General Dante. The late Lord Uzumi would be proud." Unato said.

"Someone must speak for him and those who believed what he believed and can no longer speak."

"Fair enough. Allow me to give the counter argument." Unato said. "Lady Cagalli, at the moment, Orb stands alone. If something happened to our nation, the other nations would only help us if they felt generous. But if we sign the treaty with the Atlantic Federation, they would be obligated to help us. And Lady Cagalli, you were concerned about lending aid to the areas that have been ravaged by debris. Signing the treaty would make such operations far more efficient. Now, we all know that only a handful of Coordinators were responsible for the fall of Junius Seven. But there are many who have suffered horrible losses. They are angry at the Coordinators and wish to see someone pay for what has happened. We have the largest Coordinator population on the planet. If we don't sign the treaty, there are many who would seek to attack us just because of the Coordinators within our nation. And despite what General Dante claims, our independence will be preserved. All we will gain is an ally to help us in times of need."

Cagalli knew that both arguments had merit. While Cagalli wanted Orb to remain neutral, like her father believed, at the same time, Unato had brought up some valid concerns about staying neutral.

"Chief Representative Athha, what do you think we should do?" Unato asked.

Cagalli hesitated. She couldn't decide. Cagalli could see both options leading to Orb burning in the fires of war once more. "I…I need some time to think things over."

Unato sighed. "Lady Cagalli, we are willing to give you time to consider the matter, but you need to come to a decision soon. This meeting is adjourned."

The men and women that were attending the meeting, slowly filed out, leaving Cagalli and Samuel alone. "Thank you for your words." Cagalli said.

Samuel shrugged. "I was merely doing what I could. Unfortunately, your father's sacrifice has left us in a difficult position." he admitted. "Most of his supporters sacrificed themselves alongside him, leaving only political enemies left. People like the Seirans, who are little more than the spineless worms of Atlantic Federation. But I doubt my words had little impact on things. Most of those people in there support the Seiran family. They won't turn from them."

"What do you think I should do?"

"You already know what I think. It's what you believe as well. You're just afraid of what would happen." Samuel replied. "But you have to decide for yourself. You cannot be the leader of a nation and not make the hard decisions. In all the years I knew your father, he made many hard choices, just like you are now, and every time, he came to his decision based upon what he felt was best for the people of Orb. Follow his example. Do what you feel is best for Orb and it's people. That's all you can do."

"I just don't know which to choose. I can see how both decisions can lead to Orb suffering again." Cagalli admitted.

"As can I. Like I said Cagalli, Orb will always be a target in the current world. I believe that we are safest if we are neutral. Until the day that all the nations of Earth can come together in equal and fair alliance of nations. Only then, can we discard our neutrality. But that is what I believe. You follow your own beliefs, Cagalli. No fit leader can lead their nation by doing everything that others tell them to do. You must think about this decision carefully. I could be wrong, but so could Unato. You must come to your own decision."

* * *

The Allster Estate

"I see…" a concerned Lacus said as Flay finished explaining what happened in space. "The media has already been reporting similar stories."

After Flay had returned home, she, Lacus, Kira, Liz, Murrue and Andy had gathered to discuss what had happened, and what was going to happen now.

"And then there was _that_ broadcast not too long ago." Andy added.

"The one with the woman from the Alliance?" Flay asked.

"Yeah. Her broadcast has gotten a lot of people angry at ZAFT." Andy replied. "It's looking a lot like how the last war started."

Flay nodded. "John called it the second coming of the Bloody Valentine."

"I'd have to agree with him. It's a reversed version of the Bloody Valentine." Andy paused for a moment. "At this point, war will be the likely next step."

"There has to be something we can do." Liz said. "We just can't let another war break out. We have to do something.

"Bah! Get off!" Alex shouted from another room. "Mommy! Birdy won't get off my head!"

Alex stumbled into the room, Birdy sitting atop his red hair. Flay, Lacus, Liz, Murrue, and Andy couldn't help but laugh, momentarily forgetting about the current state of the world. Only Kira didn't laugh. His mind was elsewhere.

"_Why does that thing like to sit on my head?!"_

"_Oh come on, Birdie is just trying to be friendly."_

"_No. It's trying to make a nest on my head."_

"_It's just a robot. Birdie doesn't even know how to make a nest."_

"_Well, if I wake up one morning with twigs in my hair, I'm dismantling that thing."_

Though Kira would never admit it to anyone, he didn't like to be around Alex. Not because he hated Alex, but because the child always reminded him of his father, Chris, and the guilt that always accompanied those memories. His eyes in particular. Because Alex had his father's eyes. Every time he looked into Alex's eyes, he saw Chris, and ultimately his death, saving his life from Rau.

_Rau aimed the Providence's rifle at the Raven and fired. Kira rushed in front of the damaged Raven, blocking the beams with the Freedom's shield._

_But that was what Rau had counted on. A pair of DRAGOON pods rose up from behind the Freedom and the Raven. They fired at the Freedom. Kira turned but it was too late. There wasn't enough time for him to dodge or block the shots..._

_Suddenly, the Raven slammed into the Freedom, pushing it out of the path of the beams. The shots tore through the Raven's upper chest and right arm, severing the arm. The Raven's phase shift flickered briefly before it shut off. Electricity surged in and around the hole in Raven's chest and the stump of its right arm. The Raven had fatally damaged. There was one outcome to this._

"_And so ends one abomination." Rau triumphantly gloated._

"_Why..." was all that Kira could muster._

"_I told you before. I'm watching your back so you and the others live long enough to change the world for the better. That's my reason for fighting Kira." Chris answered, surprisingly calm considering what was about to happen. "I want you to do something for me Kira. Stop this bastard and tell Flay I love her and I'm sorry."_

_Before Kira say anything, the Raven exploded. Kira managed to scream as the fireball consumed the Freedom._

"You know, your father had the same problem." Liz said, distracting Kira from his memories. "Birdy loved to nest on his head as well."

Liz knelt down to pull Birdy off her nephew's head, only to have Alex's hands reach up and grab Birdy's legs, holding him place. "No. Birdy stays." he said before turning around and leaving, the mechanical bird chirping as they left.

"He still greatly misses his father." Lacus commented as Liz took her seat.

"I've caught him several times hording photos of Chris and any of the few possessions of his that are still around." Flay quietly replied. "You might have a fight on your hands Kira if you try to take Birdy away from him."

Kira nodded, but didn't say anything.

Andy cleared his throat. "Back to the matter at hand, there's little we can do to stop things at the moment. A group of Coordinators dropped Junius Seven on the planet, intending to wipe out all the Naturals on Earth. And there are a lot of people here on Earth that are hurt and angry because of what's happened. Nothing we say or do will change that. If a war is going to break out, we won't be able to stop it from happening. The best we can hope for is that we can end as quickly as possible, before a possible genocide can occur."

Kira couldn't help but wonder why this was happening. Hadn't been enough suffering in the last war? Hadn't enough people died? The insidious words of Rau Le Creuset entered his mind again.

"_This is our destiny! People knew where they were heading when they choose to walk this path!"_

"_Justice and faith, ignorance and escapism! They never learn! They never listen! We have reached the end of that path. There's no way to prevent it now! Mankind vanquished, at last! Just as they deserve!"_

"_This is a world where people's hearts are filled with hatred, where fingers have no purpose other than to pull triggers! What do you believe in, and why do you?"_

"_Of course! After all, people can only under stand what they've experienced! Why torment yourself saying 'eventually someday'?! How long have you been fighting with your mind clouded by that brand of sweet poison?!"_

Had Rau been right along? Were they all trapped in an endless cycle of hatred and war? No. There had to be a way to end the cycle and bring about a true peace. Truthfully, Kira didn't want to fight again. He had enough of it in the last war. But if there was no other choice, he would take up his sword again and find away to end the war as soon as possible.

* * *

Like I said, a rant like that won't happen again.

Oh and review, I'd love to hit one hundred reviews with this chapter.


	9. Phase Eight: Junction

Yo everybody. I'm actually pretty happy about the response to the last chapter. As I said, I was worried about things in the last chapter, but it turned out better than I thought. And I'm happy about reaching over a hundred reviews.

Not much else to say, so on with the show.

**Phase Eight: Junction**

A black convertible raced along the ocean-side road. The sun was slowly setting, casting everything with reddish-orange light. But Athrun's mind was elsewhere. He needed to see someone.

If wasn't long before he spotted a group of children playing on the beach. With them, was a pink haired young woman and a brown haired young man. Athrun stopped his car and climbed out. Immediately, the children rushed towards him, bombarding Athrun with questions.

"Hey, it's Athrun!"

"Hi Athrun!"

"You went somewhere, right?"

"Where did you go?"

"Where's Cagalli?"

"Welcome back, Athrun." Lacus greeted as she and Kira reached the group. "It's good to see that you're alright."

"Same here." Athrun replied, returning the smile. "I heard you're staying with Flay and everyone else after your house washed away."

"Yeah. A big wave came and smashed it to pieces." one boy said.

"All our toys are gone." a girl added in a sad tone.

"House can be rebuilt and toys replaced." Lacus said to children. "Kira and Athrun want to talk for a bit, so why don't we play some games while they go out for a drive."

The children cheered and Lacus led them back to the beach, leaving Kira and Athrun alone. "So how's Cagalli doing?" Kira asked.

"She's buried under a mountain of work at the Parliament Building." Athrun answered as the two of them sat entered the car. A moment later, they took off down the road.

"Everyone already knows who was behind the drop, right?" Athrun asked.

Kira nodded. "Yeah."

"One of them spoke to me. 'Have you forgotten about the innocent lives thrown away here?! You're living in a damn dream world! Laughing with the butchers who caused this!'" Athrun said, repeating the words of the dead fanatic.

"So you fought." Kira commented.

"Yeah… I went there to help with break Junius Seven up and they were there, waiting for us." Athrun answered. "Whether they stayed to stop anyone from preventing the drop or were planning to ride it all the way down, I don't know."

The two were silent for a few minutes. "Do you remember that day in Orb, during the war, when I asked you what we really should be fighting against? And you said that we'd find the answer together." Athrun said as they pulled into the yard of the Allster Estate. "But I still haven't found it…"

Kira put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You'll find it in time, Athrun."

* * *

Morgenroete Dry-Dock 1-B

The Next Morning

"We should be able to leave the hull repairs for the Morgenroete crews, but I want our crews to handle all of the internal repairs." Talia said to Chief Abes as they inspected the Minerva.

Abes nodded. "Of course Captain."

"Since they're lending us their aid and supplies, you be able to get the worse of the damage repaired."

"But Captain, are you really sure that this okay?" Arthur asked. "Resupplying is fine, but I feel that we should wait until we reach Carpentaria before we make repairs."

"I know what you're trying to say, but what if something happened out there?" Talia replied.

"Yes. After all, you don't want to risk the safety of ship to preserve its secrecy." A female Morgenroete worker said as she approached the group. "It can be taxing for Commander of ship, especially a battleship, if their ship isn't in top working order."

"And you are?" Talia asked.

"Beg your pardon. I'm Maria Burns of Shipbuilding Department B. I'm charge of the crew helping with the resupplying and repairs." the brown haired woman answered, extending her hand to Talia.

Talia shook her hand. "I'm Captain Talia Gladys. It's nice to meet you."

"I've heard that the Minerva has yet to have an official launch, but despite that, this ship has something of history already." Maria commented as the two of them walked towards a lift.

The two stepped onto a lift. The platform rose up, allowing them a view of the entire hanger and the Minerva. "Unfortunately, yes. I wasn't expecting something like this happen." Talia shrugged her shoulders and continued. "But I guess it can't be helped. It's just how things turned out. And that's true about everything. You have no idea what will happen in the future. And I believe that now more than ever."

"I feel the same way." Maria replied.

"I have the feeling that Orb really isn't in the position to seen lending aid to a ZAFT ship at this moment." Talia commented as she stared out at the repair efforts being done to the Minerva.

"Well, that may be true, but it's like you said. We have no way of knowing what will happen in the future. So all we can do is live in the present and do what we think is right." Maria turned to Talia. "And if we find out it was all a mistake, that's when we'll moan and cry about it. And then we'll go on to the next thing."

Talia smiled and turned to the woman. "Yes. You're right."

* * *

The Athha Residence

Athrun sat, watching the various news reports on his laptop as he finished his breakfast. The whole situation was mess. Chairman Durandal and ZAFT were trying to apologize and distance themselves from the terrorists while many people from the Alliance were hurt and angry about the devastation that had befallen Earth. Needless to say, tensions between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance were running high. At the moment, a single wrong move could spark another war.

"Good morning Athrun." Cagalli called out as she entered the room, pulling her arm through the sleeve of her maroon coat. "I'm sorry about yesterday. All of the meetings were running late and I-"

"Don't worry about it. I understand." he replied, turning to Cagalli. "So what's Orb's stance on this situation?"

Cagalli didn't say anything, but her face spoke volumes. "I see."

"I don't think it can be helped, given the way the world is moving. Although no where near as bad as other places, Orb did suffer damage." Cagalli said, turning towards one of the windows. "I understand what the Prime Minister and the others are saying. But sharing everyone's pain doesn't mean we have to join those screaming for vengeance."

"I'm going to the PLANTs." Athrun announced.

Needless to say, Cagalli was stunned. "What?! Why?"

"I feel bad leaving when Orb is like this but I just can't sit here and do nothing."

"But Athrun, that's-"

"I'm worried about the situation in the PLANTs." "With a man like Chairman Durandal in charge, I don't expect the PLANTs to take the worst possible path, but there are still those out there who believe in my father's words. I want to speak with the Chairman, and see if there's something I can do to help out. Whether it's as Athrun Zala or Alex, I have to try. If another war breaks out between the PLANTs and Earth, then what have we been working for this whole time? It will have all been for nothing.

* * *

Later

"It's been a while since I set foot in Orb. It's still as nice as ever." Tristan commented as he and Gekido walked down a busy street. "Of course, I haven't been here since before the war. My family use to vacation here. Have you ever been here?"

"No. Can't say that I have." Gekido replied.

"You don't what you've been missing, my friend. This is the best place in entire planet."

"You're only saying that because this one of the few nations of Earth that readily welcome Coordinators."

"That is but a small part of what makes Orb great." Tristan said. "There's the beaches, the-"

Gekido quickly cut him off. "Please, I don't need a list. Let's just find a place to get a drink first. Then you can give me the grand tour."

"Alright, alright."

It didn't take them long to find a place overlooking the beach. When the bartender saw their IDs and realized who they were, he offered the first round on the house. But they only wanted one round. "Here's to Dale, the best damn poker player in ZAFT. And here's to Shawn, luckless with the ladies, but a damn good friend." Gekido said, raising his glass.

"Here, here." Tristan said, raising his own glass.

The two took a drink, finishing the toast, when a voice called out, "Can I join you guys?"

Tristan started to turn towards the voice. "Sorry Miss, but we're just having the one drink then we're-Sir!"

It was Suiren. But like them, she was out of uniform, wearing a simple casual dress and sandals. Gekido to her and nodded his head in greeting. "Ma'am."

"Ah… We can explain." Tristan nervously said. "You see, we were just-"

Suiren raised her hand, silencing him. "I don't care. I'm just to relax like the rest of you." She then took a seat next to them. "I'll have what they're having." she ordered.

The bartender poured her glass and handed it to her. Suiren accepted and quickly downed a third of it. "Ah… It's good to have a little R&R after all we've been through." She said.

"Yeah. Armory One, the Debris Field, Junius Seven, all with in the same week, that's enough to drain anyone." Tristan added.

Suiren raised her glass. "Here's hoping that it doesn't turn into a full-scale war."

"Here, here." Tristan added as he and Gekido raised their glasses as well.

"So if you're where, I guess that means that everyone else off enjoying some R&R as well." Tristan said, setting his nearly empty glass down.

"Pretty much, Luna's off with her sister and those two guys from the hanger crew."

"Vino and Yolant?"

"Yeah. Rey's staying on board the Minerva and Shinn…" She sighed. "I have no idea what he's doing. I'm finding it very frustrating to keep him in line. Though at least Commander Alaric and his team have left the ship before someone ended up dead."

"Asuka's an arrogant jackass with a big mouth." Gekido commented.

Tristan shook his head. "Enough of that already. The two of you have been fighting since the day you met."

"What can I say? He's a jackass."

"Says the guy who headbutted him for no reason."

Suiren raised an eyebrow at that comment. "You mean that actually happened? I thought that was just a story."

Tristan chuckled. "No. It was real. You see, this guy here had gotten it stuck in his head that Shinn had started spreading some rumor about him across the Academy." he explain. "So what does he do? He tracks down Shinn. When he found him, he walked right up to Shinn, without saying anything, and headbutted him. Naturally, a fight broke out and the two of them were scrubbing toilets for month."

Gekido grunted. "He had it coming."

"Nah, he didn't. He didn't start the rumor, Dale did."

Gekido was stunned. "What?! He started it?!"

"Yep. He started after you didn't pay him what you owed after that one poker game that you got trounced in."

"Son of a… How long did you know?"

"Shawn and I both knew it from the start. You headbutted the wrong guy."

Gekido paused for moment, and then he shrugged. "It was still wroth it."

Both Tristan and Suiren laughed.

* * *

Later

Athrun watched as his Heli arrived. Cagalli stood behind him, unsure of what to say. Athrun turned around to face her. "I know about you and Yuna, but that doesn't mean I like it." he said, reaching into his pocket.

His other hand reached out and grabbed Cagalli's left hand. Athrun pulled out a ring from his pocket and slid it onto her ring finger. But it wasn't just any ring. It was a wedding ring.

Cagalli was left dumbstruck, staring at the ring in disbelief. "What?"

Athrun looked away, his cheeks turning red. Cagalli blushed as well, searching for the right thing to say. Ultimately, she said something true to her nature. "This isn't the way to give a girl a ring!"

"Sorry." Athrun replied.

Cagalli, her body being overwhelmed by the multitude of emotions she was feeling now, started to tremble. Athrun reached out and hugged her. Cagalli's body stopped and for a moment, they stood there in each others arms. Then the two kissed.

But all good things come to an end. Athrun pulled away from her. "Be careful and keep in touch, Athrun." Cagalli said.

"You too, Cagalli. Everything will work out in the end." Athrun replied before heading for his ride.

* * *

Elsewhere

Shinn had eventually decided to leave the Minerva for a while. He had been lost in his thoughts and memories, not paying attention to where he was headed. After what had happened, Shinn had never wanted to set foot on Orb again. Being here again, only brought back the pain. Why the hell had the Athhas been so insistent on fighting a battle that they could have never won? Why hadn't they just submitted to the Earth Alliance and save countless lives? It just didn't make any sense to him. Why had those wretched Athhas done this?!

Shinn was pulled from his thoughts when he realized where he was. The place here he had lost everything. But it had changed since that time. A paved path, a number of flower gardens along said path, benches, and statues-like pillar at the end. No one would be able to tell what it looked like before. Expect for Shinn. All he could see was the bodies of his family. His parents, their bodies twisted in unnatural ways, and Mayu, lying there peacefully, like she was just asleep and would wake up at any moment. He wanted to scream, to yell at the heavens for what they had taken from him.

Shinn pulled out his sister's phone and played the message again. "Hi! This is Mayu. I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep."

Not wanting to stay here any longer, Shinn turned to leave but stopped when noticed something he had missed. Atop a cliff overlooking the ocean was what appeared to be a tombstone and a young man was stand before it. As Shinn approached him, he turned to face him. "Is this a memorial to the dead?" Shinn asked.

"Yes." the young man replied. "This is my first time seeing it myself. I had always met to come here, but…" He shook his head. "The flowers have started to bloom; unfortunately they'll be bit by the spray from the breaking waves and wither."

"Perhaps it means they can't be deceived." Shinn bitterly commented as the sounds of a woman singing filled the air.

The older teen gave him a funny look as Shinn continued. "No matter how beautiful a flower blooms, people won't hesitate to step on it."

"What?" the confused teen asked as a pink haired girl walked up to him.

Shinn sighed. "I sorry for saying something weird like that." he said before he started walking away.

* * *

PLANT Supreme Council Chambers

A Few Days Later

"These demands are ridiculous! Why in the world are they demanding that we arrest the terrorist group and hand them over? Don't they realize that they're dead?" Alan Clarzec exclaimed.

"On top of that, they're demanding reparations, that we dismantle our military, dissolve our current government, and the placement of Alliance inspectors on the Supreme Council." Louise Leitner added. "There's no way that they can actually believe that we'll accept these demands."

"Perhaps, but they aren't all that different from the demands that we made of them after the Bloody Valentine." Ian Kessel commented. "They're lashing out at us just as we lashed out at them. It wasn't right back then and it isn't right now."

"It's garbage. They just want to start a war while making us look like we're stubborn and unreasonable." George Adaman said.

"It's more of their warmongering and bigotry." Neu Kazaefsky said with a sneer. "If this didn't happen, they would have found another reason to start a war."

"Well then, what are you proposing that we should do? Attack them before they attack us?" Ian asked.

"Maybe we should. They want to attack us anyway. So let's him them before they can hit us."

Those words sparked an argument between many of the Council members. Some were supporting the idea, others were opposing it. Durandal found himself struggling to maintain order on the Council. "Please! Council members; please calm down!" he yelled, breaking up the fighting.

Everyone fell silent. "I understand how you all feel, but if we rise to their bait, history will repeat itself." Durandal said. "No matter what the Alliance says, we need to strive to find a diplomatic solution. If we don't, the people who have perished in the last war will have died in vain." He turned to Ian and Louise. "Now I believe the two of you have a report on the investigation into the terrorist group."

Ian nodded. "As you know, the Justice Department and the Nation Defense Committee have been working together to investigate the terrorist group responsible for the Junius Seven drop, and what we've found, and more importantly, haven't found, is shocking. From comm-chatter recordings, we've managed to identify several members of the group. They're all ex-ZAFT. More specifically, they're soldiers who lost loved ones in the Bloody Valentine, or those that we noted as strong supporters of the late Patrick Zala. But worse than that, this was not an isolated incident. We've received reports from Earth that there were terrorist cells hidden across the Earth in case the colony drop failed to destroy the planet. In the aftermath of the drop, they attacked cities all across the planet. The most disturbing incident had happened in Fortaleza." he said, pushing a button on his table. "We've gotten a hold of a copy of a recording sent to a number of news networks in the area."

On the screens in the room, a trio of children appeared. The oldest of whom was around ten or eleven years old.

"_My father's name is Alphonse Ross. My mother's name is Katrina Ross." the boy spoke. "They were both doctors. And they were murdered by Naturals, because they were Coordinators. The Naturals are nothing but savages. It's their fault for the war and everything else. But now we are going to get our revenge. Death to the Naturals! Death to Blue Cosmos!"_

Many of Council members were stunned by the child's words. "A GINN was piloted into the city and started firing. Killing several dozen innocent civilians before a single Earth Forces soldier in a tank shot it down." Louise quietly explained. "Inside the cockpit were those three children. Dead."

Many of the members looked sick. "You mean…"

"Yes. A group of children, the oldest of whom was ten, got a hold of GINN so they could kill as many Naturals as they could." Ian shook his head. "Madness. Absolute madness." He sighed and rubbed his temples for a moment. "As I've said, we've begun a preliminary investigation into this group. We've identified these children. As the boy said, they were orphaned during the war when their parents, whom working for the Red Cross, were killed. It's unknown whether they were killed because they were Coordinators or were caught in the crossfire of a battle. How those children managed to reach Earth and got a hold of that GINN, we don't know. Likely, they were picked up by these terrorists to use as fodder."

Images of older ZAFT mobile suits engaging in combat appeared on the screens. "As for their weaponry, unlike the forces at Junius Seven, it all appears to be older models that have been modified. Mainly old GINNs, BuCUEs and ZuOOTs. A typical of any guerilla force. But the pilots at Junius Seven were using our newest GINN High Maneuver Type model. A machine they should not have been able to acquire in such numbers. We've done an inventory of those machines we have in use and in storage. Just over a dozen are missing, compared to the estimated four dozen they had. As to the Flare Motors, we've searched our records as well as the records of IDB, the manufacturer of those Motors, and according to those records, they shouldn't exist. There have been no reports of missing or stolen Flare Motors. Currently, we have men doing a visual count to confirm the records, when we have the results, we'll report them to you."

"Do you have any theories on where those machines came from?" Ricardo Orff asked.

Ian sighed again. "The only theory I have it that is… that they had help from someone powerful or a group of such people. Either in the upper echelons of ZAFT's military, the heads of IDB, or… anyone sitting at this table."

"That is a very serious accusation, Mr. Kessel."

"I know, Chairman. I desperately wish that we're wrong. But there was a conspiracy to drop Junius Seven and the ringleaders weren't the men and women at Junius Seven, they were here, sitting back and watching the disaster play out. There's no other way for them to have gotten all that equipment without us noticing."

"But why? What possible motive could they have to do this?" Ali Kasim asked.

"To succeed were Patrick Zala failed. To wipe out every last Natural and damn us all to extinction." Ian answered. "Needless to say, we must throw everything we have into finding those behind 'Break the World' and hand them over the Alliance to stand trial for crimes against humanity. It's the only way that we can stop all of this."

"So you're accusing one of us of helping those lunatics?"

"I'm saying that someone helped them drop Junius Seven. And yes, possibly one of us."

"All the more reason for us not to rush in." Durandal said. "Those responsible for what happened want a war. They want us to fight the Alliance, to finish what men like Patrick Zala started. We must continue to try to resolve this diplomatically while we try to uncover this conspiracy."

* * *

ZAFT Super Carrier, the Gondwana

A Few Days Later

Yzak and Dearka stepped off the elevator and onto the Gondwana's bridge and tactical control center. A group of ZAFT officers had started to gather in the tactical control center, waiting for the briefing to start.

The fleet had suffered serious casualties. Both the Loki and the Einherjar were in dry-dock for repairs. The Odin, the flagship of the fleet, had been so badly damaged that it was beyond saving. The ship had been scuttled and the Commander had transferred her flag to the Baldur, leaving Yzak and his team without a ship, like the teams of the Loki and the Einherjar. In the short term, the three teams had been transferred to the Gondwana until new ships were made available or their ships had been repaired.

"Yzak! Dearka!" a familiar voice called.

Both aces turned. It was Nicol and Saul, both wearing their old Red Coat uniforms. "Saul, Nicol, what are you doing here?" Dearka asked.

"What do you think? We got freaking reactivated." Saul grumbled.

"Yeah. We just got here." Nicol added. "And guess what, we've been assigned to your team, Yzak."

Both were surprised by this. "You're kidding." Yzak said.

"I wish." Saul replied in a depressed tone. "Working under you is gonna be a pain in ass, Scarface. Worse, it's a big pay cut for me. Do you know the kinda money I was making at IDB? A lot more than what I made as a soldier."

Yzak ignored him. "I assume you've both been assigned mobile suits already."

"Yeah. My sister said something about having some machines from storage brought up for us." Saul answered. "Though it won't be as good as my Surge."

Admiral Rebecca Kessel appeared, approaching the large holo-map in the center of the area. All of the ZAFT officers snapped to attention. Kessel returned the salute. "At ease." she said. "As you all know, talks between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance have deteriorated. They have demanded that the PLANT Supreme Council be dissolved before midnight tonight and they run the PLANTs until those within ZAFT that helped the terrorists are found and arrested. Naturally, such a demand is unacceptable and now we have an Alliance fleet coming to threaten us with force. Hopefully, that will be just for show, to intimidate us into surrendering. But if not, we will be prepared for them."

The holo-map activated. The moon, the PLANTs, Solomon Base and the Gondwana appeared. A cluster of red triangles left the moon, leaving a red trail as they advanced towards the PLANTs.

"As you can see here, the EA fleet is taking the long way to the PLANTs, going around our Solomon Base, so they can strike at the PLANTs directly. In response, we are setting up a defensive line here, with Solomon at one end and the Gondwana at the other." A line of green triangles appeared in front of the PLANTs, forming a line from Solomon to the Gondwana. "Our objective is simple; defend the PLANTs no matter the cost. As always, we are outnumbered. Our estimates put the number at two to one in their favor. However, our new ZAKUs are superior to their Dagger Ls, which should help us with their numbers."

"But the main concern we have with this force is not their numbers, but rather what their ultimate objective is. The last two times the PLANTs themselves saw fighting, nuclear weapons were used. Needless to say, the threat is very real. I want everyone out there to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious and to report it immediately. I'm hoping that I'm just being paranoid, but we can't take any chances. Good luck out there ladies and gentlemen. And all pray that this whole affair ends quickly."

* * *

Over the next few hours, the ZAFT warships formed a defensive line, blocking the path of the Earth Alliance counterparts. The Alliance fleet stopped just outside of the maximum firing range of both fleets, and like the ZAFT forces, waiting for the clock to run down to zero.

Everyone was tense, waiting for the clock to reach midnight. Some praying that this whole affair would end peacefully before then. Others, not so much. Some were scared to go into battle, others were mentally preparing themselves for it. The people of Earth, the Moon and the PLANTs watching on. Like those in the fleets, there were many different feelings being felt amongst them. Some were angry and wanted to lash out at the other side. Some were worried about family and friends serving in the military. Others prayed that it would peacefully, without fighting. And a few, a small few, watched on eagerly for ensuing conflict.

It was the calm before the storm. And it would not last.

The clock struck midnight. The peace had ended.

The Alliance warships started to deploy their Dagger Ls as ZAFT ZAKUs and GuAIZ Rs were launched in response. Warships began to advance, firing their main cannons at the opposing warships.

The war had begun.

* * *

And the war begins. Originally, I was going to add the opening battle in this chapter, but I felt in the end that I should save it for the next chapter with the aftermath of it. Needless to say, the battle will play out differently than the canon.

One thing I hated about the canon and was a big plothole for me was how the terrorists were treated after Break the World. ZAFT proclaims that the entire group is dead, yet never answers the question, how did these guys get their hands on a couple dozen GINN HM Type IIs and Flare Motors. It didn't make sense to me. Lets say that yes, the terrorists were all dead, but why didn't anyone in the PLANT Supreme Council asked about how they got their equipment? That kind of hardware doesn't go missing without someone noticing. So I just had to patch up that glaring hole with the only way it made sense to me, a conspiracy. Which it pretty much was in the canon.

Also, one thing I liked about Stargazer was that whole thing with the three kids in the GINN and I wanted to throw that in there. So there's my little nod to Stargazer.

Finally, Saul and Nicol are back, and their custom ZAKUs HM Types will appear in the next chapter as well. Also, we're going to be seeing a lot of them and Dearka and Yzak in future chapters, so fans of those guys and hated how Dearka and Yzak were shafted in Destiny, rejoice.

As always, review!


	10. Phase Nine: Bared Fangs

Yo everybody. Got another chapter up for you all. I would have had it up sooner, but over the last couple of days, I've two other fanfic ideas that wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote them down a bit. A fairly regular occurrence for me. I have about a dozen or so half written chapters for various stories on my computer. I may one day finish a bunch of those chapters and post them together in a collection of story ideas for those interested in them.

"_It'd be damn humiliating for us after all we've been through, to get shot down in these tin cans.__"_ Saul Kessel  
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-1000HMX/SC ZAKU Surge  
Unit Type: Customized commander type mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack  
Armaments: 1x DES-G07D+ long anti-armor sword, 1x DES-G07D+ short anti-armor sword, stored on hip, 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle, 1x 'Hakenfaust' triple claw, mounted on left arm, 1x shoulder shield  
Pilot: Saul Kessel  
Color: Dark green torso, forearms, shins and head. Green biceps, thighs and shield with blue trim.  
Info: Saul Kessel's ZAKU. The mobile suit has been outfitted with spare weaponry that had been fabricated for the GAT-X204 Surge during the Bloody Valentine War and left in storage after the conclusion of the conflict. When and why this mobile suit was constructed, remains a closely guarded secret of the 11th Fleet.

"_Guess you're a little rustier than you thought.__"_ Nicol Amalfi  
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-1000HMX/ZC ZAKU Blitz  
Unit Type: Customized commander type mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack  
Armaments: 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle, 1x 'Gleipnir' rocket anchor, mounted on left arm, 2x beam sabers, stored on hip armor, 1x shoulder shield  
Pilot: Nicol Amalfi  
Color: Black torso, head, forearms, shins and shield with red trim. Pale purple biceps and thighs.  
Info: Nicol Amalfi's personal ZAKU. Like the ZAKU Buster and ZAKU Surge, the ZAKU Blitz was equipped with spare weaponry from the pilot's previous machine. And like the ZAKU Surge, the reason for its construction remains unclear, as both pilots were no longer a part of ZAFT.

**Phase Nine: Bared Fangs**

The Gondwana

In one of the large hangers of the Gondwana, crewmen rushed to finish prepping the mobile suits for launch. ZAKUs and GuAIZ were quickly lined up in front of the many catapults of the super carrier.

"This is it everyone. We're going into battle." Yzak said over the comm to his team. "I don't know what's going to happen out there, but we are not going to let anything happen to the PLANTs."

"We know Yzak." Dearka said.

"Saul, Nicol are you two ready for this?" Yzak asked as his ZAKU was placed onto one of the Gondwana's catapults.

"Don't worry about us. We might be rusty, but we're good to go." Nicol replied, his own ZAKU waiting behind Yzak's.

"Yeah. It'd be damn humiliating for us after all we've been through, to get shot down in these tin cans." Saul added as he powered up his ZAKU, waiting to be launched from another catapult.

"Well just remember, these aren't like our old machines." Dearka said.

"We know. This isn't our first time in a mobile suit, remember. The four of us fought together for a good chuck of the last war. So stop treating us like kids already." Nicol said in an annoyed tone.

"Alright, alright." Dearka replied as the catapult doors opened up across the mammoth ship. "Let's do this."

Yzak nodded. "Yzak Joule. Joule Team launching." With that, the catapult activated, launching the ZAKU Duel into space.

"Joule Team…" Saul cringed. "I was right, that does sound terrible." He shook his head. "No matter. Saul Kessel. ZAKU Surge taking off."

The ZAKU was launched, joining Yzak and growing number of mobile suits that had already launched from the Gondwana. Nicol and Dearka were set onto the now catapults.

"Dearka Elsmen. ZAKU Buster moving out."

"Nicol Amalfi. ZAKU Blitz launching."

The two ZAKU were launched, joining their comrades. Within a few minutes, numerous teams of ZAKU mobile suits were racing towards the Earth Alliance forces.

* * *

The Voltaire's Hanger

"Listen up everyone. We're at war again. And the last time the PLANTs were attacked like this they were nearly destroyed by nuclear warheads." The Commander of the Voltaire's mobile suit team said to his pilots. "So keep your eyes open for anything. I don't want anything getting near the PLANTs. Stick together and watch each other's backs. I want us all to come back home when this is all over. Am I clear?"

"Sir, yes sir."

He nodded his head. "Alright. Lock and load. We're moving out."

Truthfully, he knew that it was unlikely that they were all coming after the battle. That was just how combat was. He put his helmet on, locking it in place. He climbed into his ZAKU as his second-in-command climbed into his orange ZAKU. The commander put on his helmet and powered up his machine. He was the first to step onto the catapult. "Do you have the same feeling of déjà vu that I'm getting?" Westenfluss asked over a private channel.

"Depends. Are you talking about the whole situation or this particular battle?"

"Both."

"Yes to both. This situation is a lot like how the last war started. And this battle feels a lot like the Battle at Jachin Due." the Commander paused. "Keep your guard up at all times."

"Don't worry. I will."

A moment later, the crimson ZAKU Phantom was launched.

* * *

The battle between the forces of ZAFT and the Earth Alliance was brutal. Alliance Dagger Ls clashed with ZAFT GuAIZs and ZAKUs while Nazca-class and Laurasia-class warships slugged it out with Agamemnon-class, Nelson-class and Drake-class warships. A Gunner ZAKU Warrior fired its Orthros rifle, piecing the bridge of a Drake-class. As the Alliance ship started to drift, a pair of Daggers fired their beam rifles at the ZAKU, destroying it. A pair of Doppelhorn Daggers fired their beam rifles and twin cannons at a group of GuAIZs. Two ZAFT mobile suits exploded while a third lost its head. But before they could finish the rest of the ZAFT machines off, a ZAKU Phantom shot the two of them from behind, destroying them. A pair of Nazca-classes fired on a Nelson-class, their combined bombardment overwhelming the Alliance warship. Explosions ripped through its hull, consuming the battleship. Three GINN High Maneuver Type IIs raced across the battlefield, gunning down Daggers before they could get a clear shot on them. A dying Drake-class rammed into the Nazca-class, taking both ships out in a huge fireball.

"Damn… This is getting dicey." Ajay Cortez commented as he dodged the incoming fire from a pair of Daggers.

"That doesn't matter. They are attacking the PLANTs." Diana said, drawing a beam saber from her ZAKU Panther's shield. "It's our duty to defend our homeland. We're not going to take one step back." Diana shot forward, slicing through a Dagger with her saber as she shot down another with her assault rifle. "Am I clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am." Ajay replied, driving one of his arm mounted beam sabers into a Dagger.

At that moment, an Agamemnon-class fired its cannons. The beams pieced a Nazca-class and the warship exploded. Nearby, Lucius fired beam assault rifle. His well aimed shots took down a trio of Daggers in rapid succession. "Ma'am, perhaps we should deal with that ship." He said as he pulled out a grenade, primed it and threw it at a fourth Dagger.

Diana nodded. "Form up gentlemen, we're taking down that ship." she ordered.

Her squad formed up and surged towards the Agamemnon-class. A wing of Daggers moved up, blocking their path. The ZAKUs just tore through them, gunning them down with their assault rifles as they raced towards the Alliance battleship. The ship's point defenses opened up, firing upon them. But they were too fast and agile for the guns to hit them. The ZAKU High Maneuver Types started firing upon the ship. Lucius fired on one of the twin cannon, destroying it. Ajay took out the other with his beam sabers. Diana fired the fatal shot, taking out the ship's bridge. The ship was effectively dead.

* * *

Near Solomon Base

As the two fleets battled, two smaller Alliance battle groups were moving into position, one heading for Solomon, the other heading for the PLANTs. But they didn't escape notice. Hidden ZAFT scouts observed their movements and reported their positions. One group consisted of eight Agamemnon-class battleships, while the other was just a four Agamemnon-class ships and the Girty Lue. Neo rose from his seat. "It's time to show them our plan. Launch the mobile suits. Let them clear the path for the ships." he ordered.

The Girty Lue's hangers opened. The Specter and the Chaos were on the catapults, ready to launch. One by one, the Extended pilots launched, heading for the Solomon Base with several squads of Doppelhorn-equipped Windams from three of the four Agamemnon-class ships close behind.

"Spread out and destroy them all." Treize said to his comrades. "Not a single Coordinator survives."

With that, Treize pushed the Specter's boosters to their maximum, propelling the machine far ahead of the rest of the Alliance forces. GuAIZs, GuAIZ Rs and ZAKUs opened fire on the Specter as it approached, but it was too fast, always being where their beams weren't. "Too slow, Coordinators." Treize said as he continued to dodge their shots.

He drew the Specter's beam revolvers and started firing. Everyone of his shots were dead on, the beams tore through the bodies of many mobile suits as the survivors continued to fruitlessly fire on him. "Impossible… He's too fast!" one panicking pilot shouted just before a beam pierced his cockpit.

"This guy can't be human! He's moving way too fast!" a ZAFT commander exclaimed as more of his men were cut down. "Keeping firing! We need to try to pin him down!"

"It's no good! He's too-AAAAAGH!!"

"Can't get a lock on him. He's just too-"

Pilots were beginning to panic. The Specter was living up to its name, its speed turning the machine into phantom. There one second, gone the next, taking out several of their own in process. The commander kept on firing at the Specter, wondering how a Natural, or anyone for that matter, could pilot a mobile suit so well at those speeds. It seemed inhuman for anyone to be able to do that. Suddenly, his rifle battery ran dry. He swore as pulled out the dead battery. Treize grinned, swapping one of revolvers for his sword. As the man was about to load a battery onto his rifle, Treize lunged at the ZAKU Phantom with his sword. The commander threw his rifle up as he backed off. Treize's sword sliced through the rifle, but missed the ZAKU. The Commander drew his beam tomahawk and roared as he lunged forward. He brought his axe downward but Treize block it with his shield and thrust his sword into the ZAKU's cockpit, crushing the man inside. Treize pulled his sword out and the ZAKU exploded.

Nearby, Gyunei fired off his Scylla cannon. A trio of curving beams through a closely packed cluster of GuAIZs and GuAIZ Rs, destroying most of them. The Extended laughed at sliced a survivor in two with a beam saber. Then the Rosso Aegis transformed and ensnared a GuAIZ in its limbs and crushed it. "Such flimsy machines. Do they really think that they can win with these things?"

A pair of ZAKU charged toward the Chaos, firing their rifles. Sting dodged the shots, but didn't fire back with his rifle. His weapon pods did instead. A beam pieced one ZAKU from behind while the other mobile suit was hit from above. Sting smirked as his weapon pods reattached themselves.

A pair of GuAIZs fired their arrestors at the Strike Noir. Before they could reach her, Maia slice through them with her beam blades. "How rude. If you wanted to dance up close, you should have asked first." she said to the pilots.

Maia let go of her blades and fired out the Strike's hand mounted rocket anchors at the two ZAFT machines. The anchor embedded themselves within the chest plates of the GuAIZs, surprising their pilots. Maia then pulled the GuAIZs towards her as she took aim with the railguns built into the Noir Striker Pack. As they were nearly on top of her, she fired the guns. The rounds tore through their cockpits like it was tissues paper, killing the pilots. She grabbed the GuAIZs and threw them away just before they exploded.

Rezin fired the Verde Buster's beam cannon and gun launcher at a Nazca-class, obliterating its bridge and sparking a chain reaction that destroyed the entire ship. A pair of GuAIZ Rs fired their rifles at her, but Rezin evaded the beams and fired back with her own rifles, blowing the head and arm off one while destroying the other. The crippled mobile suit turned and started fleeing. "Oh no, you don't!" Rezin called out as she chased after the GuAIZ.

The bayonets within her rifles extended. Rezin took aim, carefully picking her target before she fired. Beams tore through the GuAIZ's legs. The legless mobile suit stumbled and as the pilot tried to right himself, Rezin thrust her bayonets into the GuAIZ's back. The Verde Buster pulled back, leaving the GuAIZ floating there for few seconds before it exploded.

Auel swung his halberd in wide arc, cutting through the chests of two GuAIZs before ramming it into the chest of a ZAKU Warrior. A ZAKU Phantom and pair of ZAKU Warriors fired on the Abyss. Auel jumped back, pulling his halberd out of the ZAKU. The beams miss Auel, and a stray shot even hit the ZAKU he had just taken out. Auel fired his twin triple cannons and chest mounted cannon at the trio. His shots tore through the ZAKUs, destroying them.

Reccoa fired her twin beam guns at an incoming wing of ZAFT mobile suits. Like Treize, she earned spectacular results. Heads and limbs were blown off. Mobile suits exploded. One GuAIZ's leg was severed, causing its pilot to lose control and crashed into another GuAIZ. But as the surviving ZAFT machines drew closer, the switched to their close-quarters weapons. Reccoa pulled back her beam guns and drew her beam sabers. A pair of ZAKUs rushed her, swinging their tomahawks at her. The Blu Duel ducked down and impaled them both on its sabers.

* * *

A ZAKU gunned down a pair of Daggers from behind. The ZAFT pilot sneered. "You Naturals aren't so tough. You're nothing but a pack of wild dogs. We should put all of-AAAAAGH!!"

The blade of a beam saber erupted from its chest. "Arrogant Coordinator." the Alliance pilot said as the ZAKU exploded.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. Another ZAKU, moving much faster and was heading towards him. The pilot fired on the ZAKU, but it dodged his shots and threw a claw weapon at him. The claw tore through the Dagger's torso.

Two more Daggers appeared, firing on the ZAKU. The green mobile suit sidestepped their beams, racing towards them as it drew a pair of swords. Before the Daggers move to counter him, the ZAKU's swords sliced the Daggers in two.

"Not bad, considering I'm rusty." Saul commented.

But at that moment, a Dagger ambushed him, a beam saber in its hand. However, the Dagger didn't get a change to hit him. The Gleipnir anchor hit the Dagger's arm, severing it. Saul spun around, slicing through the Alliance mobile suit with his long sword. "Guess you're a little rustier than you thought." Nicol said.

More Daggers approached them, firing their rifles. "Looks like got more company." he added, firing back with his own rifle.

The pair fired at the approaching mobile suits, alongside there fellow ZAFT soldiers. Shiho fired her rifle and thermal cannons, taking out three Daggers and crippling a fourth. Nearby, a GuAIZ took a hit, losing its left leg. Shiho pulled her machine in front of her damaged comrade and shot down the Dagger that crippled the machine. "Fall back." she said to the pilot.

"Yes ma'am." the younger pilot replied, pulling back.

Elsewhere, Yzak swung his axe, slicing through a Dagger while Dearka fired his cannons at trio of Daggers, destroying them all. Suddenly, a fourth Dagger rose up behind Dearka. "Dearka! Look out!" Yzak yelled.

The Dagger was about to fire on the ZAKU, when a beam axe tore through its chest. The Dagger exploded, leaving a crimson Slash ZAKU Phantom in its place. Before either Dearka or Yzak could react, the ZAKU took off, searching for more enemies.

"Was that Zane?" Yzak asked.

There hadn't been any trace of Zane after the Battle of Jachin Due. He completely disappeared. No one even knew if he had survived the battle or not.

"I don't think so. That ZAKU may have been blood red, but it had black birds painted on it." Dearka replied.

"What? Birds?"

"Yeah. They looked like ravens."

Yzak shook his head. "This is getting to weird."

At that moment, more Daggers appeared, firing at the pair, forcing them to focus back on the battle at hand.

* * *

ZAFT Gibraltar Base

"What are the latest reports from the battle?" Commander Ienzo asked as he paced across the across the base command center.

"It's seems to be at a stalemate for now. The Alliance forces can't seem to push any further into our lines." an operator reported.

Ienzo nodded and said a silent prayer. Everything rested on this battle. If the Alliance won this battle… Ienzo suppressed a shutter. Given the state of world, he didn't want to imagine that outcome.

The radar operator's eyes widened in shock at what appeared on his screen. "Sir! Incoming mobile suits!"

Ienzo froze. "What?!" He rushed to the man's console, seeing the numerous mobile suit signatures heading towards the base. He slammed his fist into the console in anger. "Scramble all mobile suits! Activate all batteries!"

Clearly, the Alliance wasn't taking any chances. They were attacking both the PLANTs and their bases on Earth. If the assault on the PLANTs failed, then they would take ZAFT's only footholds on Earth, Gibraltar and Carpentaria. Worse, currently the base was at reduced strength due to the fact that many of their personnel were still aiding in the relief efforts.

* * *

As the battle raged in space, a special detachment of the Earth Forces new Windam mobile suits, equipped with a special Striker Pack, headed towards PLANTs. A GuAIZ pilot spotted the group, his main camera zooming in on them. He paled in horror as he spotted the nuclear warning symbol on the mobile suits. "Nukes!!!

Word quickly spread across the ZAFT forces. ZAFT mobile suits broke away from their battles, racing towards the Windams. "Come on!" Yzak shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "We have to stop them!"

Aboard the Gondwana, men and women were rushing to move everything they could into the path of the Windams. "Calm down everyone. We've prepared for this." Admiral Kessel said. "Move Defender-1 into position immediately. We only have one shot. We need to make count."

In front of the PLANTs themselves was a small flotilla Nazca-class ships with a special Nazca-class fitted with a large array. The Neutron Stampeder. The specially equipped warship moved into the path of the Alliance mobile suits. The crew aboard the ship rushed to power up the weapon, knowing just how important this was.

"Dammit!" Saul swore as they raced towards the Windams. "We're not going to make it!"

"We'll make it!" Yzak yelled back, pushing his machine's thrusters as fast as they could go. "Push your thrusters into the red zone! We're not going to let those missiles hit the PLANTs!"

At that moment, the Windams fired their missiles. The warheads streaked towards the PLANTs. ZAKUs and GuAIZs vainly fired at the missiles, but they were just too far.

Defender-1 was position, its Neutron Stampeder powering up, the large array glowing with energy. Once it reached full power, Defender-1 fired the Stampeder. The massive beam streaked towards the missiles, frying the array in the process. In a matter of seconds, it tore through the missiles and mobile suits and straight on through to the small fleet of ships they had come from. …But nothing happen. The missiles continued towards the PLANTs.

"Ma'am! The Stampeder had no effect on the missiles!" an operator aboard the Gondwana shouted in horror.

Everyone was stunned. That shouldn't have happened. "Impossible… Those nuclear warheads should have exploded." Rebecca said in complete disbelief.

The Stampeder was designed to prematurely detonate nuke weapons, destroying them before they reached the PLANTs. Not only that, but the Alliance shouldn't have the means to block its effects.

As the missiles continued on their course, the ZAKU High Maneuver Types caught up with the missiles. Yzak fired his rifle. The beam struck a missile and it exploded. Not in a large nuclear explosion, but in a smaller, normal explosion. Dearka, Saul, Nicol and Shiho started firing as well. More missiles exploded, but none of them were nuclear. It was then that the realization hit Yzak. "They're decoys…"

"Yeah." Shiho said, just as surprised. "But why?"

* * *

The battle at Solomon Base was steadily turning against the ZAFT forces, despite actually outnumbering their attackers and their new ZAKU mobile suits. While the ZAKUs were proving to be superior to the Dagger Ls that currently made up the backbone of the Alliance military forces, they were no match for the new Windams. Added to this, were the Extended pilots and their machines. Where ever they were, ZAFT pilots died in droves, cut down by the Alliance super soldiers, none more than Treize. He struck like a raging tempest, wiping out scores of ZAFT machines. Aboard the Girty Lue, Dr. Andras smirked. "As I said, he'll be operating at his maximum from now on."

"He is quite impressive." Neo commented.

"Of course. Do you know that when I was creating him, I sought to create a pilot that was superior to the Justice and the Freedom from the last war?" Andras replied. "Personally, I would love to see him battle those 'Unstoppable Angels'. So he could destroy them and prove his superiority."

"_The path for the Peacemaker Force is clear."_ Treize said over the comm. _"Deploy them now."_

Neo nodded his head. "You heard him, deploy the Peacemaker Force." he ordered.

The rear Agamemnon-class ship began deploying its mobile suits, GAT-04 Windams equipped with AQM/E-M2N Nuclear Striker packs. The Windams gathered together and advanced towards the Solomon Base.

"No way… They got nukes!" one GuAIZ pilot exclaimed. "We have to stop them!"

The GuAIZ was about to move when a beam blade descended down on it, slicing through the mobile suit. "Hey! Don't ruin the surprise!" Maia said. "We worked hard to bring you those presents, so no peeking!"

The rest of the Extended pilots and the combat equipped Windams formed up around the nuclear missile equipped mobile suits, cutting down any ZAFT machine that got in their way.

"Safeties off, weapons are hot." the Windam commander said as he and his team reached firing range. "For all those lost in Break the World! Let's send these space monsters to hell!"

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" a Windam pilot added.

The Windams fired their deadly payload. Nuclear missiles streaked towards their target, Solomon. Thanks to the Extended, there was nothing to stop them. The missiles hit their target. Explosions tore through the Solomon Base. The ZAFT space fortress was quickly consumed in the nuclear fire.

A predatory grin spread across Treize's face as he impaled a stunned GuAIZ with his sword. "A shame _that_ ship wasn't here as well."

Reccoa smirked. "Regardless, mission accomplished."

"Awesome!" Auel cheered.

Sting grinned. "Hah! That's what they get for trying to destroy Earth."

"Look at all the pretty lights. Don't you love our present, Coordinators? It's just so beautiful!" Maia said in awe.

Gyueni laughed. "Burn Patchworkers! Burn! Ha ha ha ha!!"

"Now that is an explosion!" Rezin exclaimed in delight.

Stella didn't say anything as she was mesmerized by the explosions.

"_Excellent work."_ Neo said over the radio, congratulating them. _"All forces, our mission is complete. We're withdrawing."_

* * *

The Gondwana

Confusion was reining aboard the Gondwana. Officers were struggling to figure out why dummy warheads had been used against the PLANTs. That's when the first reports came in. "My god… Admiral, Solomon has been destroyed!"

Rebecca turned to the holo-map. Solomon's icon was gone with only a scattered ZAFT forces still in the area. "Impossible. There were only five warships attacking, more than enough for those still at Solomon to handle." she said.

"They used nuclear missiles, ma'am. And also Bogey-1 was present with the force." the officer replied.

The Admiral swore. "What?! And you decide to tell me this now?!" she shouted at the poor man. "If that ship was present, you should have said something the moment you spotted them!"

"I'm sorry Admiral. There were conflicting reports. I didn't want to bring it to your attention until I confirmation on the target."

Rebecca sighed, rubbing her eyes. "From now on, if there is so much as a single man sighting that ship, I want to be told immediately."

"Yes ma'am."

'_So they used the real nukes against Solomon. Were the dummy warheads a decoy? To draw more of our forces away? Or was it something else? Could they have been testing to see if we had developed any anti-nuclear defenses?'_ She thought, staring at the holo-map._ 'Logically, we would deploy any countermeasure to our homeland from a nuclear strike, so could that be the reason for the fake nuclear strike? To trick us into revealing it against a false target?'_

"Ma'am! The Alliance forces are signaling their retreat. They're withdrawing from the area." another officer added.

The surprises just kept coming. Rebecca couldn't figure it out. Why were they retreating? They had just taken out Solomon, so why withdraw? A prolonged battle would favor the Alliance.

"Admiral, we're receiving word from Earth. Both Gibraltar and Carpentaria are under attack."

Then it dawned on her. "Damn… This whole battle was one big diversion." Rebecca said. "They made us believe that they were going to hit us directly with everything they had. Even tricking us into revealing our anti-nuclear defense against a decoy."

"But why ma'am? It doesn't make any sense. Why attack the PLANTs directly if they weren't trying to take us out?"

"Simple. The defensive perimeter of the PLANTs was centered around the Solomon Base with the Gondwana serving as mobile support. With Solomon gone, the Gondwana is now the core of that defense, which means that we can't use it offensively as a carrier or for mass orbital drops. But the second part of the deception was to draw the bulk of our forces back to the homeland, stranding our terrestrial assets which have already been stretched from relief efforts. So they could take them with ease." She paused for a moment. "We're in for a whole new war now."

* * *

Earth

Serena Ryker took the podium. "People of Earth, people of the PLANTs, today we saw the first battle of the war. It ended with a display of leniency on our part. Because we in the Earth Alliance believe that things can be settled peacefully. We could have struck at them with everything we had and smashed their military, resulting in many, many losses. But we chose to use this opportunity to show you, the people of the PLANTs, our strength and our resolve. Your government is hiding the masterminds behind Break the World, if they are not responsible for it themselves."

"Now, I will not deny that the Alliance military used both dummy and tactical nuclear warheads in the battle. Now Durandal and his supporters will say that we wanted to wipe out the PLANTs with nuclear weapons. Personally, I find that deeply offensive. The Earth Alliance has changed since the last war. Blue Cosmos still exists, but they have no sway over the Alliance. The nuclear weapons were only intended to be used against military targets. We do not desire the destruction of the PLANTs. While we may use tactical nuclear weapons in future, they will only be used against military targets. Unlike the lies that Durandal would have you believe, we in the Alliance still hope that this conflict can end peacefully.

"Our demands have been simple. We demand that they hand over the masterminds behind Break the World to stand trial for their crimes. Or failing that, allow full access to an Alliance investigation. Yet Durandal and his administration have stubbornly and repeatedly rejected these demands. I find myself wondering, why? Why would he reject these simple demands if they could prevent a war? Ask yourself that, people of the PLANTs, why would your Chairman who proclaims to want to preserve peace, reject the way to preserve peace? Ask yourself that, people of the PLANTs. Ask your government. Remember, we of Earth do not wish to the enemies, but we will not tolerate a government that is supporting terrorists that seek to destroy us because of their pointless hatred. Maybe Durandal has rejected our demands because he really wants a war. Maybe he really does want to wipe out the Earth and all of us Naturals. The terrorists were certainly well equipped for their attempt at genocide. Perhaps someone at very top of ZAFT was supporting them. Think about it, people of PLANTs. You could very well be on the side of the people who sought to wipe out the Earth. Is that the side you want to be on?"

"And… cut." the director said.

The filming stopped as Djibril started clapping. "Quite wonderful, my dear. Sowing the seeds of anger among the people of Earth while spreading doubts among the people of the PLANTs. If your speeches continue like this, I wouldn't be surprised if ZAFT forces began to defect to our side."

Serena bowed her head. "Thank you, Lord Djibril. I trust the Operation has succeeded."

"Yes. It ended flawlessly. ZAFT never realized what was happening until it was too late. Solomon has fallen and both Gibraltar and Carpentaria are not far behind. After they are conquered, we'll be able to take our time and wipe out the PLANTs at our leisure, if they don't surrender to us to save themselves." the leader of LOGOS replied. "But they won't. At least not as long as Durandal runs ZAFT.

"How can you be so sure Lord Djibril?" Serena asked.

Djibrill smirked. "I just know."

* * *

Aprilius One

Athrun turned the facet on. He cupped his hands together under the pouring water, gathering the water in his hands. He splashed face with the cold water, jolting him awake. He had been waiting for hours to see Chairman Durandal. Given the situation, he wasn't all that surprised that the Chairman was running late. Athrun glanced at his watch. It had been several hours since the battle ended. He had hoped that the Chairman would have been able to see him by know, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Athrun left the men's room, heading back to where the Orb ambassador was waiting, when overheard someone ask, "How much longer will it be?"

He froze. Athrun knew that voice. But it couldn't be. She was still in Orb. Wasn't she? Athrun had to find out. He rushed towards the sounds of the voices. Turning a corner, he spotted her. At the top of a flight of stairs, was a group of men and a lone woman. The woman's back was to him, but Athrun could clearly see her long flowing pink hair. "Lacus?" he said, much longer than he realized.

The girl turned around and stared at him. A big smile spread across face. "Athrun!" she gleefully called out as she rushed down the stairs.

The girl quickly embraced Athrun in a hug. He quickly realized that despite how she looked, this was not Lacus. She was far too giddy. While Lacus was a fairly cheerful person, this girl was far beyond Lacus's normal cheerful demeanor, especially given the situation the world was in right now. Secondly, there were her clothes. Lacus always dressed modestly, showing off at best, a moderate amount of skin. This girl on the other hand, was wearing clothes that were on the line of inappropriate to wear in public. Then there was the girl's bust. Which were noticeably bigger than Lacus's. Not that Athrun paid attention to that sort of thing.

"I'm so happy to see you Athrun!" the girl said, breaking the hug.

That was other thing Athrun noticed about this girl. Her eyes. While they looked like Lacus's eyes, there was something those eyes that screamed 'not Lacus' to Athrun. What that something was, Athrun couldn't place. But he knew this girl wasn't Lacus. So then why did she look like Lacus?

Athrun opened his mouth, intending to ask the girl who she was, when a voice cut him off. "Alex?"

Both Athrun and the girl turned to voice. It was Chairman Durandal and his entourage. "That's right. I have a meeting with you. I'm terribly sorry about forgetting about you."

"Alex? Isn't this Athrun?" the pink haired girl asked.

"Publicly speaking, no. His name is Alex Dino. However privately, he's Athrun Zala." Durandal explained. "Miss Clyne, don't you have somewhere to be right now?"

The girl flashed an embarrassed grin. "Sorry, Chairman Durandal. I was distracted. After all, I haven't seen my fiancée in a long time."

'_Fiancée? Just who is this girl? The arranged marriage between Lacus and me was called off years ago.' _a very confused Athrun thought.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to see him again once we've finished talking and once you've finished up." Durandal replied.

The girl nodded. "Good bye Athrun! Good bye Chairman Durandal!" she called out as she climbed back up the stairs.

Durandal turned to Athrun. "Now I believe that we have much to discuss Athrun. Shall we head to my office?"

Athrun nodded. There was indeed much they had to discuss.

* * *

And so the war has begun, with an unexpected outcome of the first battle. ZAFT has been sent reeling from the Alliance opening salvo. One thing about that battle I never understood, why didn't the Girty Lue and the Extended fight in it? They didn't return to Earth until later, so why not use them in the battle?

Also, Meer has made her debut. She's the one CE character that I'm conflicted on about how I feel about her. When I first saw her, I hated her, making her the second CE character I hated. I called her some nasty things about her, which I won't say yet because I'm going to have other characters say them. But in later half of the series, when we saw her demons, my opinion of her changed. I understood her and part of me could relate with her. So I'm very torn about her. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to have a bit of fun with her. Though I did notice after rewatching episode 9, that at the end of the episode, Meer gives Athrun a couple of looks that look a little crazed. Not full blown crazy like she shows in later episodes, but definitely something that looks off.

As always people, I live off reviews. So hit the button and write something.


	11. Phase Ten: A Father’s Spell

Yo everybody. Not much to say today. Though some people have been asking me about the way the war itself will go. I've said it a few times during later chapters of SEED, but I'll say it again. One of my biggest complaints against Destiny was the war itself. It was universally one-sided for ZAFT and always depicted the Alliance evil, LOGOS-controlled oppressors. That won't happen in this story. While there will be times when one side has the upper-hand over the other, like right now, but overall, the war will be a stalemate. Even after Durandal reveals LOGOS.

As for Heine, I have plans for him. You'll all see in due time.

**Phase Ten: A Father's Spell**

"A nuclear attack?"

Athrun was stunned. How could the Alliance resort to nukes so early? It was unthinkable.

"Yes. Fortunately, they only used nuclear missiles against our Solomon Base rather than the PLANTs themselves." Durandal replied.

"No way… That's impossible…"

Durandal wearily shook his head. "I wish I could say that too, Athrun. I really do. But, a fact is a fact.

Durandal pulled out a small remote and pushed a button. Footage of the nuclear warheads striking Solomon played on the giant wall-mounted screen in the office. Athrun gasped in horror as nuclear fire consumed the asteroid base. Chairman Durandal sat down on one of the chairs in front of his coffee table. "Please, have a seat, Alex." he said.

Athrun joined him, sitting down on the couch across from Durandal. "Still, it's not like I hadn't expected this. And yet, I was completely caught off guard by quickly and eagerly they declared war on us, and then to jump to using nuclear weapons on us."

"It was unusual enough for them to declare war on us given the situation on Earth, but to follow it with something so extreme…" Durandal shook his head. "This is no ordinary war."

Athrun nodded. Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control ever since Armory One. "That's true."

"Even though the Alliance has withdrawn back to their lunar bases at moment, they won't back down. Not after taking out three of our largest bases."

Again, Athrun was caught off guard. "What?"

"Yes. It hasn't gone public yet, but while they attacked the PLANTs and destroyed Solomon, they also attacked both Gibraltar and Carpentaria. Both have just been captured." he explained. "The morale of the Alliance soldiers is currently high while our forces are panicked and worried with the nuclear attack and the losses of Gibraltar and Carpentaria."

Athrun needed answers. That was partly why he had come here. He couldn't bare the thought of the PLANTs repeating his father's actions. "With the declaration of war and this attack, what are the PLANTs planning on doing with this situation?" he asked, determined to find out what Chairman Durandal was planning.

Durandal sighed. For brief moment, the Chairman weary and looked older than he normally appeared. "There are a lot of people in the PLANTs right now that filled with anger and fear over what's happened. And they want to lash out the Earth Alliance. If we were to respond by retaliating, the world will once again be entangled in quagmire of war."

Images of the Bloody Valentine and bloody war that followed filled Athrun's mind. As did the deaths of Miguel and Rusty, Nicol's near death, his own killing of Kira's friend Tolle, his brutal battle against Kira, and the deaths of those that died at Jachin Due all played out in his mind. Athrun clenched his fists. Another war and more pointless deaths.

"Of that, I have no doubt." Durandal continued. "Needless to say, I want to avoid a war at all costs. But there's no denying how grave the situation is. If they knew the full details, the people would rage in anger. They would want vengeance. How do you think we should proceed? The clock is counting down, just like it did in the previous war. And this isn't the first time they've attacked us with nuclear weapons. How do we stop this process all together?"

Athrun closed his eyes, pushing out the images of the attempted nuclear attacks on the PLANTs during the final battle of the war from his mind. "Mr. Chairman." Athrun said, opening his eyes. "I understand what you're saying, but please reconsider. Fighting is not the answer. We can't let anger and hatred control us. If we attack each other now, the world will become battlefield once again. Nothing will be gained. Everything will be lost. You can't let that happen!"

"Alex… I-"

"My name is Athrun Zala." Athrun said cutting him off as his hands trembled. "Son of Patrick Zala, the man who fanned the fires of war that spiraled out of control and poisoned the whole world with his hatred. I believed in my father's words, I fought in the war, killed the enemy and I fought my best friend. Even after I realized how wrong it was, I couldn't stop him and I lost everything. And yet my father's words live on." Athrun's whole body began to shake from sorrow, anger, and shame. "We must never repeat that tragedy! Never!!"

"Athrun!" Durandal called out, putting a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. The Chairman rose from his seat, walking towards his desk. "I know what the terrorists at Junius Seven said." He stopped, looking over his shoulder at Athrun. "It must have been difficult for you to hear."

"No. Not really." Athrun lied. "It's better that I know the truth. Otherwise, I'd be blind to what really happening. Again."

"Don't blame yourself Athrun. It's not your fault. You aren't responsible for their actions." Durandal said. "It's sad that the memory of your father pains you. That it's a source of such bitterness for you. But I suppose that it can't be helped. And yet, I doubt that Chairman Zala was always like that."

Athrun remembered what his father had been like before the war. Before the Bloody Valentine. Before his mother was killed. While his father was never a moderate like the late Seigel Clyne, his father wasn't the angry, hate-filled man had become by the end of his life. "No, he wasn't."

"In his capacity as Chairman, there is no doubt that he made grave mistakes. But he always sought to protect the PLANTs, to protect us, and create a better world for his people." Durandal continued. "The best intentions of great men can lead them to make terrible mistakes. Then there are those with agendas who will hear the words of people with power and twist them to support their warped ways of thinking. Like those who dropped Junius Seven. They had no outlet for the anger and sorrow they felt. So they used the Chairman's word as an excuse. When they lashed out, they believed that they were in the right because Chairman Zala said so." The Chairman paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "You shouldn't let yourself be bothered by such things. You are you. The terrorists were the terrorists. Chairman Zala was Chairman Zala. Whose son you are is irrelevant. Don't let this drag you down Athrun. None of this reflects on who you are."

Athrun stood up. "Chairman, I-"

"You are the one who came here, wishing to prevent war from breaking out again. Just keep that in mind. Stop holding yourself responsible for all this." A smile crossed the Chairman's face. "But I am very happy that you came here Athrun. Those who feel like you do, Athrun, need to stand together, for you will be the ones to save the world. Call me a dreamer if you like, but that is was I believe in."

* * *

As Durandal and Athrun spoke, all across the PLANTs, people began to gather. People that were frightened and enraged at the recent nuclear attack on Solomon buy the Earth Alliance, and were afraid that more nuclear attacks would follow. They demanded action. That the PLANT Supreme Council strike back against the Naturals that had attacked them. Shouting and chanting while waving signs proclaiming; 'Protect the PLANTs', 'Down with the Alliance' and 'Remember Junius Seven'. It wasn't long before these rallies were on the verge of becoming full-blown riots. But before any violence could break out, a broadcast was transmitted all across the PLANTs.

"_My friends, it is I, Lacus Clyne…"_

* * *

Athrun could only stare at the screen, his expression was one of surprise as the girl he had met earlier began to speak.

"_My friends, it is I, Lacus Clyne. Everyone, please calm down and listen to what I have to say. The recent tragedy with Junius Seven, the Earth Alliance's declaration of war, and the attack on the PLANTs themselves, these events are all sad and tragic. I feel the same resentment that you are all feeling. I am just as shocked as you are. How could they use nuclear weapons against us again? But please my friends be calm and let reason carry the day. Letting yourself be consumed by anger, crying out words of hatred, will only lead to more conflict and suffering. Even as I speak, the Supreme Council is doing everything possible to avoid the worse case scenario. I'm call on all of them, each and every one of you show the world that you want peace. Chairman Durandal and Supreme Council are working hard to find the right path. Please remain calm during this time."_

"You can go ahead and laugh." Durandal said, pulling Athrun's attention from the screen. "It's quite pitiful that I have to resort to such a deception, but it can't be helped. I'm sure that you've already seen the young woman the Earth Alliance as well as the anger of the people of the PLANTs over this recent attack. The truth is her influence is great, much greater than my own. I'm sure you that must think of this utter foolishness on my part, but I fear that without Lacus Cylne, the anger of the people will blind as it did the last war." Durandal sighed. "I am in need of her strength right now. Just as I am in need of your strength."

Athrun's head was spinning from everything he had just heard. Everything just so confusing right now. "My strength?"

Durandal nodded his head. "Will you come with me Athrun?"

* * *

The Voltaire

_The nighttime fills the sky_

_Stars alive, go floating by_

_So still the evening air so warm and soft_

_Peace everywhere I see a world in harmony_

_A world of peace and humanity_

_Where people walk free like water in a stream_

_Flowing on forever more_

The Commander turned off the monitor in his desk. He rubbed eyes and sighed. His team had been luckier than most. They only lost a single man. Of course, the whole battle had been a disaster for ZAFT. He couldn't help but wonder how they could successfully turn things around. Then there was Durandal's clearly fake Lacus Clyne. A figurehead to the masses. "Why did you do that? Even if she is a fake, I do find that song quite relaxing."

The Commander turned to the ghost from his past, sitting across from him. "Not that I would publicly admit it of course." the ghost added.

"No. You never would." the Commander replied.

The ghost began to tap a finger on small glass case. Inside the case was a FAITH badge. "Still having doubts about accepting this? That's not like you. You were once so… determined and sure of yourself once, back then. Now it seems you're filled with nothing but doubts and hesitations. Quite a difference from the person you once were."

"There are many things to consider. Many possibilities. Many outcomes. It is like a game of chess with half the field submerged in darkness." he replied, turning his chair away from the ghost, and looking out the viewport of his quarters, into the void of space. "And I am no longer that person. He died at Jachin Due. It's better to leave him dead and buried than to try and relive the past."

"Should he really be dead?" asked the ghost.

"You of all people should know the answer to that."

"True. But why have second thoughts now on becoming a part of FAITH? I told you before, why not use the position to your advantage? Use it to keep a close eye on things within ZAFT?" the ghost suggested. "You would have authority over nearly everyone else in ZAFT."

"Perhaps."

"I know what it is, you don't want to be indebted to him for all the things he's done for you. The promotion, this ship, and then that badge."

"I don't have to explain myself to you. I'm walking the path that I have chosen for myself."

The ghost laughed. "_Your path_. I can't help but wonder about the truth of that. Is truly your path, or is it just the path that others have set you on? After all, people are created and shaped from by those they meet, by those they call friend and by those they call enemy. So can they walk their path, or are they just walking the path set before them by others?" the ghost commented. "Take that fake Lacus. She was an ordinary girl who just so happened to have a voice like Lacus Clyne's. Had Durandal not found, she would have lived an ordinary, mundane life. But Durandal has now set her on a path she never would have walked otherwise. Maybe you fear that the Chairman is trying to shape you into his tool. Maybe you fear that you're already sliding down the path he wants you to walk."

The Commander scowled and spun his chair around, but the ghost was gone. He sighed, putting his hand on the FAITH badge. Had he made the right decision in accepting this? Or was he putting himself in position that he shouldn't be in? He had much to consider…

* * *

Aprilius One

Chairman Durandal had led Athrun into a ZAFT base and into a darkened hanger. In the low lighting, Athrun could see the outline of a mobile suit as they walked across the catwalk. Once they reached the center of the catwalk, the lights came on. Revealing a…

Athrun's eyes were wide with surprise. "This is a…"

"The ZGMF-X23S Savior." Durandal said. "Though its abilities are different, it was developed alongside the Impulse, the Specter, the Chaos, the Gaia and the Abyss." Durandal turned to Athrun. "If I said that I want to entrust this unit to you, what would you do?"

The surprises just didn't seem to stop coming. "What are you talking about? Entrusting this unit to me? Are you asking me to return to ZAFT?" Athrun asked a defensive tone in his voice.

He had left ZAFT for a number of reasons and truth be told, Athrun wasn't sure if he was ready to return. Or if he'd ever be truly ready to return.

"That's not what I mean." Durandal answered, looking at the Savior. "As I said, I want to entrust this mobile suit to you. While it may look like you've returned to ZAFT from an official standpoint; my thoughts on this matter are as my Lacus said. I am trying to find the right path for ZAFT and the PLANTs. However, our world is a complicated place. The thoughts of opponents, advisors, and organizations become muddled together, making it difficult to accomplish things. That's why I need all those that believe as I believe to stand together with me." The Chairman turned to Athrun. "If at all possible, I would like nothing more than avoid a war altogether. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to let ZAFT go down without a fight. If the time came, I feel that it would be better for you to have power, real power."

Athrun wasn't so sure. Not counting Armory One and Junius Seven, he hadn't piloted a mobile suit since Jachin Due. And those two times were different. He had been protecting Cagalli and Flay and then fighting to break Junius Seven before it could destroy the Earth. This was different. Durandal was asking him to enter a mobile suit and fight in a war again. "Chairman…" Athrun started.

But Durandal cut him off. "You fought in the last war, and I know you have antagonized yourself over your father's actions and his legacy. I'm sure that you, no matter the circumstances, will stay true to your path." he said, turning to Athrun. "If it looks like we're about to stray off our path, I want you to be the one to correct us. But in order to do that, you'll need power."

Athrun blinked. Just what was the Chairman asking of him? Did he want him to be somekind of watchdog for ZAFT?

The Chairman turned and started to walk away, Athrun with the Savior. "I know it's very sudden which is why I won't ask you to make a decision right away. But there are things you are capable of doing and there are things you want to do." He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "There is only one person that has the answers you seek. You."

* * *

The Gondwana

Yzak stepped out of his personal bathroom, drying his wet hair with a towel when the console built in to his desk started to beep. He rushed over to his desk and sat down. He pushed a button on the console. The face of one of the Gondwana's communication officers appeared on the screen. "Commander Joule, there's a message for you from the Supreme Council."

Yzak's calm face hid the surprise he was feeling. Why would the Supreme Council send a message to him? "Send it here." he said.

A text message appeared on the screen. Yzak read the message and then swore. He couldn't believe it! This had to be somekind of joke! Yzak double checked the message's authentication code. It was good. This orders were real. Yzak slammed his fists on the desk in frustration. He quickly changed into a clean uniform and rushed out of his quarters, heading for the quarters of the ordinary pilots. He reached Saul's and Nicol's quarters first and entered. Only Saul was inside, lying on his bunk, asleep with a book on his face. "Get up!" Yzak snapped.

Saul jolted up, the book falling off his face. "Huh… What's going on?" Saul asked with a yawn. "What's got you so angry? Your girlfriend dump you?"

Yzak hit Saul's head. "We're being called up to the Supreme Council."

Saul stretched his limbs. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

"No, they don't just want you. They want you, me, Nicol, and Dearka. So get ready to leave." an extremely annoyed Yzak answered. "Where's Dearka, Nicol and Shiho?"

"Think they went to get something to eat. When are we leaving?"

Yzak left without saying anything else, heading for the mess. As Saul said, Dearka, Nicol and Shiho were there, eating. "And he spent half the concert sleeping while Saul was awake for the entire time." Nicol told Shiho and Dearka, earning laughter from the two.

Yzak approached the three. "Dearka, Nicol, we've been called to the Supreme Council."

"What? Why do they want to see us?" Dearka asked.

"I don't know. But they want you, Nicol, Saul and me to report to the Council immediately." Yzak replied in a bitter tone. He then turned to Shiho. "You're in command until I return."

Shiho nodded. "Alright Yzak. Do you know when you'll be back?"

"They didn't say." Yzak answered. "But I just want to get this over with and get back here."

* * *

Aprilius One

Later

"Athrun, do you like meat or fish better?"

Athrun turned away from the hotel window and his thoughts to the girl sitting across from him, the girl impersonating Lacus, Meer Campbell. Athrun found it a little disturbing how physically identical the girl was to Lacus. And yet, Meer's personality was quite different from Lacus's. While Lacus was kind and cheerful, she had a serious side as well; Meer was constantly cheerful and giddy. Seemingly an endless ball of energy. To be honest, she reminded him more of one of Lacus's fans than anything else. "I'm fine either way." he answered.

"Let's have the chicken." Meer said, ordering for them. "Oh, by the way, did you happen to see my performance earlier today?"

"Er…"

"What did you think? How was it?" Meer excitedly asked. "Was it like the real Lacus?"

Athrun hesitated, causing Meer's expression and demeanor to completely reverse. "Or was I terrible?" she added quietly.

"No, not at all. You're really quite good." Athrun quickly said, trying not to upset the girl.

Meer instantly perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah. It was just like the real thing. You really have her mannerisms down pat."

Meer's eyes lit up. "I'm so glad. That means so much to me, especially coming from you Athrun."

Athrun turned back to the window as Meer continued on. "To tell you the truth, I've always been a fan of Miss Lacus." she said. "I've always loved her songs and singing them myself too. After awhile, people started telling me that I sound just like her. Then one day, the Chairman called for me."

"And that's how you started doing this?" Athrun asked.

Meer nodded her head. "Yes. The Chairman said that he needed my strength, for the sake of the PLANTs."

"It's not your strength he needs, it's Lacus's." he bitterly replied.

Meer's expression saddened. "You're right. But at the moment… No, not just now, Miss Lacus will always be needed." She turned to the window, staring at her reflection in the glass. "She's strong, beautiful and kind. I'm just Meer. No one needs me. But I don't mind, even if it is just for now. As long as I can be of help to the Chairman and the people for Miss Lacus, I will do so gladly."

Meer continued to speak, but Athrun stopped listening to her. His mind drawn to the Chairman's words.

"…_there are things you are capable of doing and there are things you want to do." _

"_There is only one person that has the answers you seek. You."_

Athrun found himself at a loss. What was he to do? The war had started there was nothing he could do to change that. But maybe…maybe he could do something to bring the war to a quick end.

* * *

The PLANT Supreme Council Chambers

"This is unbelievable! The Naturals have completely humiliated us!"

"Calm down! The Naturals have us in bad position, but we can recover from this. We just need to disrupt the momentum they've gained."

"Indeed. Defense Committee Chairman Kessel, I trust that the Defense Department has come up with a strategy to do just that." Durandal said, turning to Ian.

Ian nodded and stood up. "Solomon has been destroyed; both Gibraltar and Carpentaria have fallen to the Alliance. The battle that was fought here was just a diversion while they hit our three largest military bases. A clever ploy and one that could have disastrous consequences for us. Our foothold on Earth is hanging on by thread. If we don't have any presence on Earth, the fighting will shift to here at the PLANTs. That's why we've come up with a plan for an Operation. It's risky, very risky, but it's the only option we have left."

"We don't have much choice given the situation." Durandal said. "Please, explain the Operation."

"We call it Operation Reclaimer. We would assemble a large force, consisting of four battle groups. Two of said battle groups would be equipped for an orbital drop." The screens displayed a 3D map of the Earth. A cluster of red dots appeared over Gibraltar and Carpentaria while four clusters of green dots appeared a distance off from the planet. "As you can see, two Alliance fleets are blockading the two best locations to drop our forces on Carpentaria and Gibraltar." Two groups of the green dots headed for the red dots. "The other two battle groups will attack these two fleets as the two drop groups will be nearby, on standby. The attack groups' main objective will be to clear a path for their drop group." The green dots pushed opened a gap in the center of the red dots. The two remaining groups of green dots headed for the openings. "Once a path has been cleared, the drop group will move into position while their attack group covers them as they commence a combat drop onto Gibraltar and Carpentaria. Now we've also managed to get in contact with many of our forces that were providing relief support at the time of the attacks and were stranded. They will attack the bases at the same time as our drop forces land. Hopefully, the combined assaults will allow us to retake both bases."

"Casualties estimates?"

"High. No one has ever tried a combat drop while in combat. The two groups attacking the Alliance fleets can expect to receive heavy losses. The estimates of the forces that will be dropping in will be much more favorable, though there is the danger that the Alliance forces will be able to shoot down the drop pods as they begin their descent. And even if this does succeed, both bases will be operating at far below their normal capacity for awhile. But it is the only option we have at this moment. If it fails, we'll have suffered heavy casualties and by the time we manage to regroup for a second attempt, both bases will be heavily fortified. Once that happens, our chances to gain a foothold will drop substantially and in all likelyhood, we'll be boxed in here in the PLANTs. I don't need to explain how dangerous that is."

"What about the Minerva? What is their status?" Durandal asked an urgent tone in his voice.

"They were among the first that we managed to get in touch with. They are still in Orb, but they are ready and able to participate in the Operation. They will leave Orb and lead the ground assault against Carpentaria." Ian answered. "Now, I hope this meet with your approval and you will support this plan."

"It's as you said, this may be our only option. We must purse it and pray that we are successful." Durandal said. "But I want our military to be used defensively. If we lash out at the Alliance, things could spiral out of control like did in the last war. I wish to avoid that at all costs."

Ian nodded. "I understand Chairman Durandal. We will put every effort into Operation Reclaimer."

* * *

The Next Morning

Athrun stepped out the shower, drying himself off, and then changed into his clothes. The Chairman had offered to put him up in a rather high end hotel room. It was certainly a nice room, though to be honest, Athrun was never one for this type of fancy accommodations. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. Athrun opened it. Standing before him was…

"Yzak?"

"You bastard!" Yzak shouted, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him back. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"Hey! Wait a minute! I have no idea what's going on!" Athrun said, trying to calm his old friend down.

"Alright, break it up you two." Dearka said, pulling the two apart as Saul and Nicol entering the room behind him.

Needless to say, Athrun was confused to see the four of them here. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"You tell me Athrun. We were called down from the frontlines to the Supreme Council and told us that we've been assigned to be your bodyguards." Yzak replied, half-shouting at Athrun.

"Jeez Yzak. Can you scream that any louder? I think I can still hear in one ear." Saul said sarcastically, rubbing his ears. "But yeah that's about it. We're supposed to keep an eye on you while you're visiting."

"Given the state of things in Orb and the Earth right now, the Chairman and the Council felt it would be wise to have someone watch over you. They chose us. Guess they felt that you could use a visit from some familiar faces" Nicol added. "So where do you want to go Athrun?"

Yzak scowled. "I swear if you say shopping, I'm going to kill you."

"Let's go shopping Athrun!" Saul cheered mockingly.

Yzak glared at Saul, earning laughter from him. "Don't mind him Athrun. He's just upset that we're being transferred."

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're being transferred."

"Yeah." Dearka said. "Don't tell anyone but we're-"

But Yzak cut him off. "Hey! Dearka! You can't tell him that! He's a civilian from another nation!"

"See, I told you he's upset." Saul said with a grin. "He's all broke up over leaving his girlfriend behind."

Yzak hit Saul in response. "Ow! Okay, okay, I'll knock it off."

Nicol cleared his throat. "So where will we be going today, Athrun?"

* * *

Athrun had only one place in PLANTs he wanted to visit, the cemetery for ZAFT's fallen soldiers. He wanted to pay his respects to Miguel and Rusty. Though Yzak had asked to stop at a grave belonging to a girl named Saya Hawke. As they saluted her tombstone, Athrun briefly wondered if she was related to the Hawke sisters aboard the Minerva before they moved on.

Athrun placed down a bouquet of flowers upon Miguel's tombstone. The five young men than saluted their fallen friend. "Deployed for self-defensive purposes only." Athrun said, echoing Durandal's words from a press conference earlier today. "So ZAFT is preparing to take action?"

"Are you surprised? We can't just sit around after they used nuclear weapons against us." Yzak answered.

"The four of us were running interception missions when those dummy nukes were used." Dearka added in a quiet tone. "When we saw those missiles, we were terrified. We thought that they were trying to wipe out the PLANTs in one strike. I still think that may be what they're trying to do."

"And what about you Athrun? What are you doing back here in the PLANTs?" Nicol asked.

"And what about Orb? What are they doing?" Yzak asked as well.

"I don't know." Athrun admitted.

There was a pause for a moment. "Come back Athrun." Yzak said, surprising them all. "I'm sure there'll be some obstacles, but I'll take care of them. You can come back to the PLANTs Athrun."

"Hey. Don't go pressuring Athrun to come back." Saul argued. "He has to decide to come back on his own. Not because anyone was pressuring him."

Yzak ignored him. "I often think of something that Chairman Durandal once said. 'Though it was the adults that started the war, it was actually the young who fought it. And if we label those that made mistakes as criminals and punish them, then I ask you, where will the future leaders of PLANTs come from? We should honor the young for their sacrifices and look to them to build a peaceful tomorrow.' That's why I still wear a military uniform. It's the only thing I know. And also, because I think that I can make a difference for the PLANTs…and all the friends who died."

"Yzak…"

"That's why you have to do something too." Yzak continued. "You have the ability; why not put it to good use?"

Athrun didn't answer. They then silently headed towards Rusty's grave. Suddenly, Saul spotted something. "Hey look Nicol. It's still up."

The four of them turned to a grave. Written on it was Nicol's name.

"That's the military for you. Couldn't even take down a single tombstone in two years." Saul commented with a grin. "Makes you wonder how they ever get anything done."

After a moment, Dearka, Saul and Yzak started to walk away. Athrun turned to join them, but stopped when he noticed Nicol wasn't moving. "I must admit, I surprised that you're here Nicol." he said to his green haired friend. "Even more than Saul, you were sick of the fighting and… well you weren't really a-"

Nicol turned to him. "A soldier? Yeah. I admit I'm not like you, Yzak and Dearka, I'm not really the type to be a soldier. My father even tried to use his old connections to have me assigned to a desk job rather than the frontline."

"Well, you did nearly die on us in the last war."

"Just between you and me, I wasn't reactivated." Nicol said quietly. "I rejoined."

"What?"

"As Saul and I watched Junius Seven fall, I couldn't help but wonder could I have done something? If I had been there, would it have made a difference? Then when we learned that it was terrorist attack, I felt that I should have been there with you guys, fighting those lunatics and breaking up Junius Seven." Nicol explained. "As the tensions rose between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance and it looked like another war was going to break out, I knew I had to do something to help out. So I did the only thing I could do, I rejoined the military. It may not be much, but I just can't sit around while others went out and fought. I owe that much to our friends and comrades that didn't survive the last war."

With that, Nicol turned and walked away from Athrun, heading for the others. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder, "Are you coming Athrun?"

"Yeah… I'm coming." Athrun said, his thoughts were on the words of Nicol, Yzak and the Chairman.

Once again, Athrun found himself wondering what he should do. Nearly everyone, even Nicol, was getting involved in the conflict, fighting for what they believed in. So why was he still sitting around?

* * *

And that's all for now. I rather enjoyed this chapter. I know it was mostly just a rehash of a number of scenes in Destiny, but many of those happen to be among my favorite, non-combat scenes of Destiny. And yes, the scene between the Commander and the ghost was inspired by the clip show episode that had Durandal playing chess with the ghost of Rau. I will say one thing about Destiny; it's the only series that has clips show episodes that I liked. Which is really bizarre, because I _hate_ clip shows. And I do plan to have more scenes in Destiny, along with that scene between Durandal and Rau.

As always review! Especially my regular fans that haven't left reviews in a number of chapters. You know who you are.


	12. Phase Eleven: Battle Anew

Yo everybody. A few things to say first. A couple people have been talking to me about the losses of Carpentaria and Gibraltar, questioning whether it could really happen. They were good arguments and I felt that I should explain my reasoning publicly to answer those questions for any future readers that may bring up such questions.

First, I would like to bring up some matters in the canon. They said in one episode that the Earth-based military of the three largest nations of the EA suffered little in the way of damage from Break the World, meaning that their Earth forces were more than ready to go to war. Then, the EA actually did blockade both ZAFT bases, but didn't do anything. Which I felt was really stupid of them. Plus, the Carpentaria fleet did have the Zamza-Zah with it and it isn't that hard to believe that a second unit would be with the Gibraltar fleet. We've seen how strong that mobile armor is, so the ZAFT forces would have had serious problems against it with just grunt units. Second, it's been regularly shown that ZAFT is inferior when it comes to the size of their military when compared to the EA. More so in Destiny as the EA has the armies of every nation on Earth at its control. (Though minus Orb at this point in time, both in my story and in the canon.) Added to this, was a fact I said repeatedly. The bases were undermanned as many of the ZAFT teams stationed at the bases were still off helping with relief efforts or returning to the bases, when the attacks occurred.

So I hope that cleared up any lingering questions about it.

Finally, I'd like to give a nod to Peloponnese, who left the 150th review.

Oh, and exia00, why haven't you made a FF account? You're a regular reviewer for both me and Maileesaeya. In fact, you review more than some of our regular reviews that are members. You've given us both OCs. And from time to you ask us questions that we want to answer but can't until our next chapter or just we can't because it could potentially be a spoiler. So why don't you just become a member of FF? Don't have an e-mail address? Well, most internet providers usually offer multiple e-mails accounts or there are free e-mail services online. Or is that someone else already has the name exia00? If so, some up with another one and just sign your reviews and/or PMs exia00.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harr Hathaway. He belongs to Digital Dimension. And again, I'm terribly sorry about forgetting your character. Had I remembered him, I would have brought him in a couple of chapters ago.

**Phase Eleven: Battle Anew**

Orb Parliament Building

The Next Day

"What?! You can't be serious!" Cagalli said, horrified at their decision. "I don't care what you're saying, there's no way I'll agree to the signing of a treaty with Atlantic Federation."

Things were turning against Cagalli's wishes. She had hoped that she could have convinced at least a few of the major members of the government to side with her against the treaty. Unfortunately, those she had spoken to were refusing to change their stance. Most were supporting Unato and Yuna. Samuel's words once again rang through her mind.

'_Unfortunately, your father's sacrifice has left us in a difficult position. Most of his supporters sacrificed themselves alongside him, leaving only political enemies left.'_

Cagalli hadn't realized just how true those words were until now.

"But Representative-" Unato started.

"Did you all forget what they did to Orb in that last war?! Or what they have done in the past few days?!" Cagalli loudly asked, bordering shouting at him. "A unilateral declaration of war and the use of nuclear weapons!"

"Lady Cagalli, that is why we are forming an Alliance with them, to keep Orb safe." Unato replied.

"But they are the ones who are endangering the safety of the world! Why should we sign a treaty with them?!"

Yuna rose from his seat. "Chief Representative, I would like to ask you to stop with these childish arguments and consider things for a moment. The reason we're doing this is because they're that kind of nation."

"But-"

"The Atlantic Federation's methods are indeed _aggressive_. Well please excuse me for saying this, but we all already know that. So we don't need you to remind us of that fact." Yuna said, his tone condescending. "I must ask, what are you suggesting that we instead, Representative? If we reject this treaty, we will be the only nation of Earth not apart of the Earth Alliance. We'll be alone on the entire planet. If something happens to us, no other nation on the planet would be willing to aid us. Should we call the PLANTs and isolate ourselves further?"

Cagalli shook her head. "No!"

"Should we deny aid to nations suffering from the effects of Break the World when our nation survived unscratched?" Yuna asked.

"No!"

"Then what should we do?"

"We should take the path of neutrality that Orb has always taken." Cagalli answered.

"Then you would see this nation burn like Lord Uzumi did." One official said disrespectfully.

Images of the Earth Alliance's attack on Orb during the last mind filled her mind. Cagalli slammed her hand on the table. "I never said that!"

"Lady Cagalli, if we take one wrong step with the current situation, it is very possible that may happen." Unato replied. "All of us share your wish to ensure the peace and safety of our nation. That is why I support this treaty." The Prime Minister rose from his seat, walking around the table towards her. "The Atlantic Federation isn't even asking anything of Orb, and given recent events, it's unlikely that they will. However, what would happen if we rejected their treaty? Why can't you see that this alliance is an opportunity? A chance to survive as a nation. But imagine what would happen if we had to face such a nation in battle because we antagonized them. I'm sure you can see the dangers here."

"Yes, but-"

"This nation burned once before. We cannot allow it to happen again." Unato said. "Before you go on about tradition, justice and what is right, consider our nation and its people first, Representative."

Moments later, the meeting ended. The government officials, their assistants and advisors filed out of the room. While most went off in one direction, a dejected Cagalli headed in the opposite direction.

"Cagalli!" Yuna called out, approaching her. "Are you alright? You seem tired."

"I'm fine." She quietly answered.

"I'm sorry about earlier, but when we're in there, I have to make my opinion known." Yuna added, wrapping an arm over her shoulder.

"It's alright. It's your job and I know that still inexperienced at things." Cagalli said in a sad, tired tone. "I'm sure the ministers are all laughing at me right now."

"Don't worry about. They all understand. This particular problem is just too big for you to handle by yourself." Yuna said, trying reassure her. "Mashimar wasn't trying to insult Lord Uzumi, he's just worried that as his daughter, you might try to do the same thing."

"I know."

Yuna directed her towards a nearby chair. "You should take a rest." He commented, setting her down on the chair. "Would you like something to drink, or maybe something to eat?"

"No thanks. I'm fine."

"Look at you." Yuna said, brushing some of her hair from her face. "I know things are hard right now and a lot of things are weighting down you down right now. But don't worry. I'll always be there for you." He then delivered a kiss to her forehead.

Cagalli's hand reached out for her forehead, allowing Yuna to see Athrun's ring. He knew who had given her that ring. Though his face didn't show, he was angry. How dare that boy from the PLANTs try to take away his Cagalli!

No matter. They'd just have to accelerate things and have the wedding sooner than originally planned. Yuna smiled. "I'll be back in a little bit Cagalli. I need to discuss some things with my father."

Yuna rose up and walked away, leaving Cagalli alone. Though not for long.

Flay emerged from her hiding place, approaching Cagalli. "You shouldn't let that little weasel or his father, get to you Cagalli."

Cagalli looked up at the red haired young woman. "Flay. I-"

"Weasel? That's an insult to weasels. He's far below them." Samuel said, surprising both girls.

Flay shrugged. "Well, he's some kind of large rodent." she said, earning a chuckle from Samuel. "But the point is, don't worry about Yuna and the others. Make the decision that you feel is right. We will all support regardless of what decision you make."

Cagalli sighed. She knew they were trying to keep her spirits up, but it wasn't working. Everything was falling apart. Unato and much of the government was trying force Orb into the Alliance, against the beliefs of Orb. But at the same time, if they didn't, they find themselves being attacked again. "I want to keep Orb neutral, but what if by doing that, Orb is attacked again?" she said, fighting back tears.

"Cagalli, if you spend your time worrying about what-ifs, you'll never able to do anything because you're plagued by so many doubts and fears." Samuel said, putting a hang on her shoulder. "What-ifs are only what-ifs. They could happen just as easily as they could not happen. Stand firm and make a decision, because I assure that while this is the first true crisis you have faced as the leader of Orb, it will not be the last."

* * *

Djibril's Bunker

Djibril was pleased. Everything was going according to plan. With Gibraltar and Carpentaria under Alliance control, ZAFT's presence on Earth was nearly finished. But they had a few loose ends to tie up first before they could finish things off in space. Fortunately, such matters would be easily dealt with.

"It seems that congratulations are in order, Djibril." Mr. Lorne said.

"Yes. ZAFT is on the run. Now all we need is the final strike to finish them off." Mr. Hoffesommer commented.

"Hold it there. There are still plenty of scattered ZAFT forces on Earth. They could pose a major problem for us, as well as that new warship of theirs." Mr. Gradenko said. "They dealt with first before we strike the PLANTs again."

"Indeed. I couldn't agree more. But all we need to do is destroy ZAFT's newest warship. Sinking that ship will be crushing blow to ZAFT's morale while showing the world and the PLANTs our dominance." Djibril said with a smirk. "Which is why I've seen to it that a portion of the fleet at Carpentaria will move to intercept the ship when it leaves Orb. In fact, I've even sent one of the Zamza-Zahs that proved so effective at Gibraltar and Carpentaria with that fleet. That ship will not survive and then we can finish this whole matter once and for all."

* * *

Aprilius One

"_Soldiers of ZAFT, people of the PLANTs, I know that you are all feeling angry and upset over recent events. The Earth Alliance's rapid declaration of war on us, their attack on the PLANTs, losses of Solomon, Gibraltar and Carpentaria, the Alliance's willingness to use nuclear weapons. The past few days have been truly frightening for us all. I understand your feelings. I know how overwhelming it is. I know that many of you would like nothing more than to lash out at the Earth Alliance for what they've done. But we must not let our emotions control us. For if we do, I fear that we will find ourselves walking the same dark path we all took during the last war. The path that nearly destroyed everything."_

"_None of us in PLANTs wished for this war or wish for it to continue. But at the same time we will not sit back while our homes are threatened. That is why we must only take up our arms only to protect ourselves. The Earth Alliance is not a sinister nation seeking to wipe every last Coordinator. Nor are the people of Earth Coordinator-hating savages. They are human beings just as we are. Like many of us, they are angry and upset over what has happened and lashing out with those feelings against anyone that they feel is to blame. They are not evil, just misguided."_

"_That is why we must keep our hearts and minds clear during these troubled times. We must remain the voice of reason. That is why I have ordered the ZAFT military to take only defensive actions until this conflict can be brought to a peaceful resolution. ZAFT will only take steps to protect the PLANTs and its own forces. We will not seek to conquer territories of Earth."_

"_These were the Chairman's words at his press conference earlier today. When asked what exactly he meant, the Chairman-"_

Durandal turned off the screen, cutting off the news broadcast and turned to his chess board. Operation Reclaimer would soon start. It angered him that Djibril had so easily turned the tables on him and put ZAFT in a dangerous position. No matter, he had already repositioned his pieces to counter Djibril's latest move. Truthfully, Djibril wasn't much of a concern to him. Once the war had reached the right stage, he would reveal LOGOS and that would take care of him. It was Lacus Clyne and Kira Yamato that worried him, as well as the man known as Gabriel. They were the unknowns in his plans. The wisest strategy was to remove the unknowns before they became a threat.

"The Black Knight serves the Black King. The White Knight protects the White Queen. And the Red Knight stands alone, unsure of himself." he mused.

"Again with the chess metaphors. You know, they are becoming quite tiresome Chairman." a voice said as his main screen turned on.

"Gabriel." Durandal greeted, his tone neutral. "I do not appreciate this intrusion. I believe I told you that our business together was finished."

The masked man's finger entwined each other and he set his chin on his fingers. "You did. But I have some new things to offer you, Chairman." he replied. "Some things that I suspect that you want. Badly."

"I highly doubt that." Durandal said, reaching for the button to deactivate the screen.

"Very well then, if you do not wish to know where Lacus Clyne is, I understand."

Durandal's hand stopped. He had been searching for the Songstress for quite awhile with little success. There were only a handful of places that she could be hiding. Both on Earth and in space. And yet, she continued to elude him. "You know where she is?"

"Yes I do. And I have a lot more information that you might just find useful in the months to come." Gabriel said, a clear smug tone in his masked voice. "For the right price, it can all be yours."

"Name it."

"You already know what it is."

Durandal sighed. "Very well. I will hand Ragnarok over to you, but only if you meet my two conditions. First, I wish to see some of this other information you have, to see if it is as useful as you say. Second, while you will have Ragnarok, I will still have full access to the research being done there."

"I accept those conditions, Chairman. And once again, it is a pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

The Minerva

Orb Territorial Waters

Captain Gladys sat in her chair, watching the horizon as the Minerva sailed towards Carpentaria. Behind the Minerva was an Orb escort fleet, there to make sure they left Orb's territory without incident. Talia knew that the situation in Orb was delicate at the moment. Every other nation on the planet had joined the Earth Alliance and the pressure on Orb to join the Alliance was growing. Truthfully, she would have left Orb a day or two ago, when much of the Minerva's repairs had been completed. But loss of Carpentaria left them stranded in Orb.

Talia said a silent prayer for her ship and the Operation they would soon be taking apart in. Operation Reclaimer was risky. They all knew that. It had the potential to destroy much of ZAFT's fighting strength if it failed. But at the same time, it was a bold move. While the Alliance had taken Gibraltar and Carpentaria, they had damaged both bases, including their defensive systems. As a result, neither base currently had adequate defenses beyond the naval fleets parked at each base. If they attacked now, they could quickly overwhelm the mobile suits on the ground and force the fleets to retreat from bases or risk losing their ships as well. And in the end, they only needed to take one of the two bases for it to be considered a success.

It was a gamble. They wagering nearly they had. If it succeed, then they will have bought ZAFT some time to regroup and open up a front on Earth. If it failed, ZAFT was finished.

* * *

Pilot Briefing Room

"Just before our forces drop from above, we will attack from the sea, splitting their forces. The Minerva will attack from the east while a group of Vosgulov-class subs that weren't at Carpentaria during the attack, will strike from the north." Suiren said, explaining the Operation to her fellow pilots. "Hopefully, this will give our forces an opening to exploit, allowing them to recapture the base. Of course, they're also hoping that the Alliance commanders can't resist the thought of sinking ZAFT's newest warship and send much of their forces after us."

"I hate to sound negative, but if they move to attack us, we'll be outnumbered and likely cut off from the rest of our forces." Luna pointed out. "We're only one ship. Do they really think they that we can defeat such a force on our own?"

"I must agree, this Op sounds very risky. The whole thing could fall apart very easily." Tristan added.

"Yes, but we have little choice in the matter. We're almost completely on our own here regardless." Suiren replied, a bitter edge to her voice.

They all knew what she was so bitter about. Along with their orders, a notice had been sent, informing them that a more experienced mobile suit commander was coming to take over command of the Minerva's pilots. Needless to say, Suiren had been less than pleased that her short command was coming to an end. If of course, they survived and ZAFT recaptured Carpentaria.

"At the moment, the defenses of bases have been weakened. If we wait, the Alliance will dig in and it becomes much more difficult to dislodge them. If we don't strike now, it could be all over for ZAFT." Suiren grimly said. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot to work with. Shinn and I are the only ones that can take the fight to the enemy. The rest of you will have to stand on the Minerva and fire from it." She turned to her pilots. "Rey, Luna, I want the two of you to equip your ZAKUs with Gunner Packs, we'll need their heavy firepower." The two Red Coats nodded. "Tristain, Gekido, you two will be on defense. Anything that gets close to the Minerva, you guys shoot it down." The two of them nodded as well. "Shinn, you and I will take point." Shinn gave a slight nod. "Now let's just pray that fortune smiles upon us today. Dismissed."

* * *

ZAFT Military Headquarters

Aprilius One

Defense Chairman Ian Kessel watched from the balcony of ZAFT central command center as officers rushed to finish the final preparations before the start of the Operation. Everything hinged on their success today.

"Sir. All battle groups are in position." an officer said.

Ian nodded. There was one final thing that must be done before the start of the Operation. The men and women needed to be fired before going into battle. He remembered something that he had heard once. 'Tell a soldier he cannot win and he's already lost. But make a soldier believe he cannot lose, and he will achieve victory in even the most impossible of battles'. Ian turned to the officer. "Patch me through to them." he said.

The man nodded, typing a command into his console.

"Soldiers of ZAFT, the Alliance has us in a difficult position." Ian said to the fleets. "But if they think that we are beaten, they are gravely mistaken. The Earth Forces proclaim that they have achieved a major victory in there opening move; that they have broken us and have us on the run, but they wrong. Despite the losses we have suffered, our military is still strong. Our fighting spirit is bruised, but still strong. And today, we will show them that it takes a lot more than that to break ZAFT's spirit. In addition, many of our comrades are stranded on Earth with nowhere to go and surrounded by enemies. Are we to leave them to their fates? No! A true ZAFT soldier would never leave a man behind!"

"The Alliance believes that we wouldn't dare strike to take back our bases. That we would be too afraid of leaving the PLANTs exposed to another attack. Today, we are going to show them how wrong they are. Right now, the Alliance forces at Carpentaria and Gibraltar sitting around, laughing at the meager feat they accomplished by attacking two undermanned bases. We will strike at their forces, showing them just how strong we are and retake what is rightfully ours, proclaiming in one voice that we aren't defeated yet!" Ian shouted. "Remember that you are soldiers of ZAFT and that today is our day of victory!"

People in the command center began to cheer and clap at his words. Ian had give men and women of ZAFT a temporary boost in morale. Hopefully, it would help push them into victory.

"Commence Operation Reclaimer!"

* * *

The engines of Nazca-class and Laurasia-class warships ignited, sending the ships towards the Alliance fleets. The hanger doors of ZAFT and Earth Alliance ships opened and the first of their mobile suits were quickly launched, heading towards each other as the warships began to fire their cannons. The first phase of Operation Reclaimer had begun.

* * *

The Minerva

"Captain! We're receiving a message from the Alexandria." Meyrin called out. "A sizable portion of the Alliance fleet at Carpentaria has left and is heading towards the Orb border!"

Arthur gasped. "What?! But why? Wouldn't they be staying to defend Carpentaria?"

"Not necessarily." Talia said. "The attack in space has just started. They may have started leaving before that."

"But why?" Arthur asked.

"I would have to say, us." the Captain answered. "And I don't think that it's a coincidence that they're heading for Orb as we're leaving Orb."

"But that would mean that…"

"Yes." Talia said, leaving it at that. "Inform the pilots. We're going to be seeing combat sooner than expected. Bring the ship up to Level One Battlestations. Tell the Alexandria and the rest of the fleet to launch the attack without us."

* * *

The Mess Hall 

Suiren had just sat down and started eating a quick meal when the alarms went off.

"_All hands, report to Level One Battlestations! I repeat, all hands, report to Level One Battlestations!"_ Meyrin said over the intercom.

"Aw hell…" Suiren cursed as she dropped her fork and rushed to an intercom panel. "Meyrin, what's going on?"

"An Alliance fleet has left Carpentaria and is heading towards us."

Suiren swore again. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that fleet was gunning for. "How long until they reach us?"

"Fifteen minutes at the most." Meyrin answered.

Suiren hit the wall in frustration. It would just be them against the fleet. They couldn't retreat to Orb. Firstly, she suspected that someone in the Orb government leaked their departure to the Earth Alliance and she doubted that they could stay any longer in Orb. Second, if they fled, the fleet would just return to reinforce Carpentaria. Their only option was to fight.

Suiren left the mess hall, running towards the hanger, saying a silent prayer for Minerva and her crew.

* * *

The battles in space, over Gibraltar and Carpentaria had quickly grown intense. ZAFT fought with an unparalleled determination against the more numerous Alliance forces. The pilots of the Earth Alliance found themselves being steadily pushed back by their attackers. For every ZAFT mobile suit that they shot down, they lost several of their own mobile suits in the process.

Shiho roared, running her sword through a Windam. A pair of Daggers fired on her. Shiho sidestepped the shots and fired her cannons at the pair, destroying them. "Come on!" she shouted. "We've cleared a path of the drop fleet. But we need to keep them way from the fleet. This will all be for nothing if they're destroyed!"

She then took off, heading towards a cluster of Alliance forces, the nearby ZAKU HM Types following after her. Many of the ZAKUs drew their tomahawks or other melee weapons as raced towards the Daggers and Windams. The Alliance mobile suits fired, but the speed of the ZAKUs was too great for them to be able to hit more than a few of them. The ZAKUs tore through the Windams and Daggers, slashing and firing at them as they raced past them. Shiho cleaved a Dagger from left shoulder to right waist. Matthews brought his tomahawk down on Windam, slicing it in half. Leo primed at a grenade and threw at a Windam and a Dagger. It exploded, destroying the Dagger and crippling the Windam. Alex fired her rifle as she flew past, taking down a Windam and two Daggers. Will tackled a Windam, slamming his shield into the mobile suit, pushing it back. The Earth pilot drew a beam saber, but before he could strike, Will swung his tomahawk, embedding it in the head of the Windam, surprising the pilot. Will pulled the axe out and swung down again as the Windam pilot managed to swing his weapon as well. Most of Will's shield was sliced off, but his axe cut open a deep gash along the Windam's chest, taking out the cockpit.

The ZAKUs then set their sights on an Agamemnon-class and two Nelson-class battleships. "Leo, Will, take the Nelson on the right. Matthews, Alex, you're on other Nelson. Max, Donnel, you're with me on the Agamemnon."

"Yes sir." the pilots replied, breaking off towards their targets.

But they didn't get a chance to attack as at that moment, a trio of black and purple ZAKUs appeared, racing behind the three warships. The lead ZAKU was armed with a normal beam assault rifle, picking off any Alliance mobile suits that crossed their path while her two partners were armed with heavy beam cannons and were firing at the engines of the warships. The beams tore into the engines of each ship, triggering a chain reaction and destroying them.

Lisa DeCosta surveyed the battlefield from her ZAKU Phantom HM Type. They were pushing them back, but barely. A ZAKU gunned down a pair of Daggers just before a Windam drove a beam saber into its back. A Gunner ZAKU aimed at the underbelly of a Nelson-class, only to be shot from side by a Windam. A Blaze ZAKU Phantom shot down a Dagger and two Windams, but as he was replacing his rifle's battery, a pair of Windams ambushed him, running their beams sabers through the ZAKUs front and back.

Lisa knew the line could buckle at any minute. They had to launch the pods now, before it was too late. "Korriban, this is Commander DeCosta, status report now."

"_Commander, we're almost in position for the drop. ETA four minutes_." the Korriban's comm officer replied.

Lisa scowled. "I don't think we can hold out for that long. If they launch now, will they still reach Carpentaria?"

"_Barely ma'am. At least a third would land at least several kilometers south of Carpentaria."_

A Windam rushed at Lisa with a beam saber, the ZAFT commander raise her rifle and fired, destroying the machine. "Then launch them now!" she ordered as two more Windams headed for her.

* * *

"_All teams, commencing premature orbital drop in one hundred seconds. All attack teams, move to defensive positions. I repeat…"_

Saul groaned inside the cockpit of his ZAKU. "I'm going to hate this."

"Suck it up. We're going to be dropping into battle." Yzak barked.

"Easy for you to say. I can't stand atmospheric entry." Saul shot back. "It always ties my stomach into knots."

Dearka raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Still?"

"_Orbital drop commencing in sixty seconds. All teams prepare for drop."_

"That's not something you just get over. You try having your stomach brutally twisted and then pulled inside out and we'll see how much you like it." Saul shot back.

"I said suck it up!" Yzak snapped. "This mission is of vital importance! We need to take back Carpentaria before the Alliance can attack the PLANTs again. And you better believe that they will use nukes again against the PLANTs if we don't open up a front on Earth."

"I'm not an idiot. I know how important this mission is Yzak." Saul said in a serious tone. "But that doesn't suddenly mean that I'm going instantly stop hating orbital drops."

"_5…4…3…2…1…0. Commencing drop."_

The pods were released, heading down towards the Earth. Daggers and Windams opened fire on the pods. Most were blocked by the shields of the ZAKUs and GuAIZs, but a few got through, destroying some of the pods. Most, however, safely entered the atmosphere.

Shiho turned to the falling drop pods and pulled her sword up into a saluting gesture. "Good luck sirs." she said.

Commander Kessel had divided the 11th Autonomous Fleet in half, leading one half to Earth including Yzak, where they would continue to operate until further notice while Lisa DeCosta was in command of the half remaining in space, herself included, to battle Alliance in space. And to keep an eye on certain _interests_.

After a few minutes of heat and turbulence, the pods had finished their atmospheric entry and sailed down towards Carpentaria. "Gah… I hate this. I really, _really_ hate this." Saul weakly said.

"Quit complaining. We're through the worst of it." Yzak snapped.

"_Get ready everyone. We're almost there."_ Commander Kessel said over the comm. _"Pop your hatches in five…four…three… two…Now!"_

The small explosive pins in the hatches fired, opening the pods and releasing their ZAKUs. Jet Striker equipped Daggers and Windams appeared, heading towards the falling ZAFT mobile suits. _"Lock and load people."_ Diana said. _"Don't hold back what so ever, because none of us are going home unless we take Carpentaria from the Alliance. For ZAFT and the PLANTs!"_

"For ZAFT and the PLANTs!" many of the pilots echoed as they started firing.

The battle for Carpentaria had begun.

* * *

Gibraltar Drop Site

"_We've entered the drop zone. All teams, prepare for combat drop in one hundred seconds. I repeat…"_

"Commander, are sure that you want to drop equipped with a Slash Pack. Wouldn't a Blaze Pack be more suited for an orbital drop?" Harr Hathaway asked as they waited in their drop pod.

Hathaway was the new member of the team and the sole survivor of his last team. His team had been stationed at Solomon in the last battle. His entire team had been wiped out by the mobile suits of Bogey-1. By pure luck more than anything else, he had been among the handful of survivors. Afterwards, he had been assigned to replace the only loss the Voltaire's mobile suit team had suffered. Which meant that he still had a great deal to learn about the team and its commander.

"Don't worry." the Commander replied. "As I've told you before, I'll be fine. Besides, it's too late now to change Packs."

"But the Slash Pack may not have enough thruster power for a safe landing."

"Duly noted, but I'll be fine."

"_5…4…3…2…1…0. Commencing drop."_

The pod shuddered as the clamps holding it in place, disengaged and the pod's boosters ignited. The pod dropped, along with numerous other pods. The pod shook as it was hit by the shockwave of a nearby explosion. "We've been knocked out course!" Harr exclaimed.

"Already correcting." Heine replied in calm, almost bored tone, firing the pods secondary boosters, designed for course changes and corrections. "You really need to learn to loosen up a little, Rookie." The four pilots felt the pod shift, moving back towards its correct path. "Flight path corrected. You're far too tense Rookie."

"Cut the chatter." the Commander said.

A moment later, the started to shake and heat up as it entered the atmosphere. Minutes later, they had completed their entry and were heading for Gibraltar. Like at Carpentaria, Alliance mobile suits were taking off to intercept them. "Alright everyone, this is it. We must retake Gibraltar. The hopes of ZAFT as well as everyone living in the PLANTs are upon us. And we are not going to let them down." the Commander said over the radio. "Prepare to pop your hatches."

"The calm before battle. The most peaceful moment of existence." the Commander said to himself. "And the longest as well as the shortest moment before storm of battle rages."

Their pod opened, releasing the ZAKUs. The crimson ZAKU Phantom pulled out its two tomahawks as the other ZAKUs opened fire with their rifles at the approaching Daggers and Windams. A Dagger fired at the Phantom, but the mobile suit pulled to left as it fired, dodging the shot and activating its thrusters. The Phantom through the Dagger and then brought its axes through two more. Then the ZAKU spun as it fell, its tomahawks slicing a trio of Daggers that were too close together. A Windam appeared, firing at the ZAKU. The ZAKU slammed into the Windam, causing it to fall with the ZAFT mobile suit on top of it. The Windam pilot pulled up his rifle, intending to shoot the ZAKU. "A superior mobile suit doesn't ensure victory." the Commander said, slicing off the Windam's arms at the elbow.

The Commander then threw his tomahawks, hitting another Windam and a Dagger and destroying them. He drew his rifle that had been secured to the front of his hip armor for the drop and started firing as the two mobile suits fell.

"You're crazy!! We're both going to die!!" the Windam pilot frantically shouted, pushing his thrusters to maximum, trying to save himself.

But the Commander ignored him as he rode the Windam down to Earth. He already had his landing all planned out. The ZAKU moved its legs, shifting the Windam and their angle of descent. It wasn't long until they reached the right position. The Commander pushed his thrusters to their limit, pushing off the Windam. The damaged mobile suit was propelled downwards and crashed into an Alliance ship while the ZAKU hit the water of the ocean. A moment later, the ZAKU leaped from the water, landing on the deck of an Alliance carrier as it drew its Falx beam axe. The Commander swung the axe down, cutting through the bridge of the ship. He then took off, heading towards another Alliance naval warship, gunning down a pair of Daggers with his Gatling guns as he moved.

At Windam fired at Harr's ZAKU, but Harr pulled up his shield, blocking the shots before he returned the fire, blowing off the Windam's left leg and left wing of its Jet Striker. But a fair amount of his attention was elsewhere. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. The man was an Ace…No, a Super Ace. "Unbelievable… I've never seen anyone pilot a mobile suit like that."

Heine fired his rifle, taking out a Dagger's Jet Striker, sending falling. He chuckled as he picked off another. "The Commander is one of the best pilots ZAFT has. The things he can do with a ZAKU are well above what most pilots could hope to achieve with even the most powerful mobile suits." he said. "In fact, he even turned down one of those new prototypes they were building at Armory One because he felt that it would be too easy with one of those machines. No challenge in it for a warrior like him."

"Well, I guess I won't underestimate Commander Dante ever again." Harr said as the red ZAKU landed on another carrier as a large door on its deck opened up, a large crab-like mobile armor rising up from the hanger.

"Hmm… This should be interesting." the Commander commented, raising his Falx axe as the Zamza-Zah pulled out its pincer claws.


	13. Phase Twelve: Blood in the Water

Yo everybody. Sorry for the delay. Had some tests and a paper due last week. So my work was delayed. But it's done now. And a thank you to all the people who review. The last chapter got twenty reviews, most of any chapter of my Destiny story. (Which wasn't a surprise) Technically twenty-one, but inumechakamigirl73 reviewed twice. And speaking of inumechakamigirl73, do not review the same chapter twice or review another chapter to leave me some message about updating. If you want to talk to me, sign up to FanFiction.

**Phase Twelve: Blood in the Water**

The Minerva's Hanger

Suiren and her fellow pilots rushed to their mobile suits. As she rode the lift up to her ZAKU Phantom, she put her blue helmet on, sealing her blue and gray flightsuit. She climbed into the cockpit and sealed the hatch. "Meyrin, how many ships are we dealing with?"

"_At least six carriers, and two dozen other battleships and cruisers."_

Needless to say, it wasn't good news._ 'Damn… This is going to be tough. Very tough.' _Suiren thought.

"Alright everyone, same plan as before. Shinn and I will launch first and engage the enemy. Rey, Luna, Tristan and Gekido, you'll launch next and defend the ship." Suiren said to her pilots as she powered up her ZAKU. "Good luck out there."

The Minerva's small central catapult opened. The Core Splendor fighter was loaded into the catapult. "Shinn Asuka. Core Splendor launching."

At the same time, the Minerva's port catapult opened. Suiren's ZAKU was loaded onto the catapult. "Suiren Kyusai. ZAKU Phantom launching."

The catapults activated, launching the fighter and the ZAKU into the air. The Chest, Leg and Force Silhouette Flyers were quickly launched after the Core Splendor. The fighter and its Flyers then assembled themselves into the Force Impulse.

The starboard catapult opened up and a white ZAKU Phantom emerged as a maroon ZAKU Warrior appeared in the port catapult. Rey and Luna took up positions on the upper decks of the ship, their ZAKUs equipped with Gunner Packs while Gekido and Tristan walked their GuAIZs out of the catapults and jumped onto the folded wings of the Minerva. "Time to kick some ass." Gekido said, readying his rifle.

The Alliance fleet began deploying their Windams and unleashed their opening salvo. Jets of water shot up around the Minerva while the ship's CIWSs and mobile suits shot down the missiles heading for them as the Windams advanced. Both Shinn and Suiren were already heading towards the Earth Forces mobile suits as the Minerva fired its own salvo at the Alliance ships. A handful of missiles managed to hit their targets, striking several Arkansas-class and Des Moines-class cruisers, damaging while a lucky shot from the Isolde triple cannon tore through the front of Des Moines-class, sinking it.

The Windams fired on Suiren and Shinn, forcing them take evasive actions as they fired back. Suiren managed to shoot down one Windam and sever the right arm of another while Shinn destroyed one and nicked the wing of the Jet Striker of another, sending it crashing into a nearby comrade. However, they were still outnumbered by dozens and dozens of Windams. More and more, they found themselves focusing more on evading the combined firepower of the Windams and less on shooting the Earth mobile suits down.

As they battled in skies overhead, other Windams and naval ships continued the assault on the Minerva. A wing of Alliance mobile suits swooped down on the warship, firing on the warship as its CIWS guns and mobile suits fired back. Two Windams were taken out before they could fire, but the other three managed to land successful hits on the Minerva, damaging its hull. Gekido destroyed the third one with a shot to the torso while a fourth was torn apart by a hail of bullets from two CIWS guns, a large chuck of its ruined body colliding with the Minerva. The final machine raced past the ZAFT warship, but was struck down from behind by Luna.

A pair of Des Moines-class cruisers advanced towards the Minerva's portside, firing their cannons and missiles at the ship. Rey turned and fired at their attackers. The first shot of his cannon pierced the forward magazine of the cruiser, causing it to explode, tearing the ship in two. Rey's second and third shots hit the other cruiser's forward cannon and bridge, disabling the vessel. But both ships had managed to launch a spread of missiles and fired off a few shells before Rey took them out. Though the combined fire of the CIWSs and the GuAIZ Rs destroyed a fair amount of the missiles, there was just too many. Small explosions blossomed across the Minerva's hull as the missiles and shells hit their targets. The four mobile suits on top of the Minerva braced themselves as the ship shook from the impacts. "Damn…" Gekido swore. "Hey, not to be rude, but we're not going to last five minutes without some air support over here!"

"I know that!" Suiren snapped, dodging shots from a Windam. "But in case you haven't noticed, we're a little busy up here too."

Suiren pulled down her left shield, blocking several of the Windams shots as she reached for one of her grenades. Suiren lobbed it at the Windam and it exploded in front of the white mobile suit. The charred machine fell to sea below. Momentarily free from the fire, Suiren quickly downed two more Windams. Nearby, Shinn fired his rifle, taking out two Windams and destroying the Jet Striker of a third. But there were still many, many more mobile suits coming at them.

Shinn swore as he fought off a pair of Windams. "They just don't stop coming!"

"I know. But we have no choice. We either break through these guys…or we don't make it at all." Suiren grimly replied.

* * *

Orb Aegis-Class Battleship, Kobayashi

Captain Todaka and his officers watched the battle between the Minerva and the Earth Forces from the edge of Orb waters. All of them wished to help the Minerva, but their orders were clear. Unless any of them entered Orb territory, they couldn't take any action. "They want us to side with the army that invaded us and to leave the ship that fought heroically to save Earth in face of an overwhelming foe." the Captain bitterly said. "I believe the appropriate word here is 'ungrateful'."

Many of his fellow officers nodded their heads in agreement. Like it or not, there was nothing they could do for the Minerva.

* * *

The crew and pilots of the Minerva were fighting valiantly, but they badly outnumbered. The Minerva had taken a pounding. Its hull was breached in numerous places, five of its CIWS turrets had been destroyed or damaged and massive plume of smoke was rising from the damaged ship.

In the skies above, Shinn roared as he raced through a formation of Windams, running his beam saber through many of them. Suiren drew her right beam tomahawk with her ZAKU's left hand as she continued to fire on Windams. She suddenly spun around, slashing through a Windam that had tried to sneak up on her. Like Shinn, she took off towards an approaching formation of Windams. Some she shot down with her rifle and others she sliced apart with her tomahawk. Wreckage fell into the waters below.

Suddenly, a missile struck the upper deck of the Minerva, a few feet from Luna's ZAKU. Luna screamed as the fireball knocked her ZAKU to the ground. A Windam saw this and aimed at the fallen maroon-colored ZAKU. He fired, a beam raced towards Luna. But before it could hit her, a shield appeared in its path, taking the shot, sparing Luna. Tristan fired his rifle, hitting the Windam and destroying it, before turning to Luna. "Are you alright, Luna?" he asked, helping her up.

"Yeah. Thanks." Luna answered.

"Don't mention it."

"Hey ladies! Less taking, more shooting!" Gekido shouted as he and Rey fired more approaching Windams.

More Windams fell, but the Minerva took more hits as well. None of them said, but they all knew that if things didn't dramatically change soon, they weren't going to make it.

* * *

Earth Alliance Spengler-Class Carrier, Powell

Captain Oswald smirked as the ZAFT warship took more hits. "It may be a powerful ship, but even it can't last against such numbers." he said.

"Sir, the Walker is reporting that they're being pushed back the ZAFT forces." the comm officer reported.

Oswald scowled. "Those incompetent idiots!" He turned to one of his subordinates. "Deploy the Zamza-Zah. We'll crush that ship with it, then head back and crush the ZAFT forces at Carpentaria."

"Aye sir." the officer replied, moving to carry out his order.

"People always go on about mobile suits and how great they are. But we proved them wrong at Carpentaria." Oswald commented. "It's the next-generation mobile armors like the Zamza-Zah that are the future of our forces."

A hatch on the forward deck of the Powell opened. A lift rose up, revealing a large crab-like mobile armor. The Zamza-Zah. It rose up, leaving the carrier and heading for the Minerva.

* * *

The Minerva

"Captain! Large unknown object approaching!" Burt called out.

"Do you have it on visual?" Talia asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Bringing it up now."

The large mobile armor appeared on the main screen. Talia gritted her teeth. A new unit. Something undoubtedly powerful. They had to take it out before it reached them. "Prepare to fire the Tannhauser." she ordered.

"But Captain-" Arthur started.

But Talia cut him off. "I know. Carry out the order."

They all knew the environmental damage their main cannon would to the planet. But they had little choice. Fortunately, a single shot wouldn't cause too much damage. Just so long as they didn't make it a habit.

Arthur nodded. "Aye, aye, Captain."

As the Minerva's positron cannon emerged from the ship's bow and began charging, the Zamza-Zah shift its position, raising its backside up, giving the Minerva a larger target as the tips of its three fins started to glow. The Tannhauser fired as an energy shield form in front of the Zamza-Zah. The beam slammed into the mobile armor's shield, pushing it back. Several nearby Alliance ships were caught by the edge of the beam and either heavily damaged or destroyed. But not the Zamza-Zah. The mobile armor survived the attack head on and without a scratch, stunning the ZAFT pilots and crew as it continued to approach the ship.

"No way…" Shinn said in disbelief.

"I-I… That's impossible…" Suiren shook her head, clearing her head and focusing on that monster of a machine. "We have to take that thing out now!"

"How?! That thing just survived a hit from the Tannhauser!" Luna shouted, panicking a little.

"Honestly, I don't know. Shinn, let's see what we can do to this thing."

The ZAKU HM and the Impulse raced towards the Zamza-Zah as it aimed its two forward Gamzatov cannons at the Minerva. "I think that thing's shield only protects its topside, so let's split up and try to hit it from the sides and the rear." Suiren said.

The machines split apart, Suiren heading for the Zamza-Zah's right side while Shinn headed for its left. But the Zamza-Zah's rear legs pivoted, aiming its other two cannons and firing. Both ZAFT pilots pulled back, narrowly missing the beams. The Zamza-Zah then extended its Vasiliev crusher claws and turned towards the ZAKU and lunged at it. "Oh son of a-" Suiren cursed as she dropped down, sliding under it just in time.

Shinn rushed towards the Zamza-Zah, seeking to help Suiren. But the mobile armor spun around and swung its claws down as he reached it. Shinn dove to the left, evading the claws. Shinn and Suiren started firing on the Zamza-Zah as it chased them, but the beam harmlessly bounced off the Zamza-Zah's positron reflector shield.

* * *

Orb Military Headquarters

"Amazing…" Yuna said as they watched the battle play out. "To think that it could deflect a shot from a positron cannon."

The ZAFT ship and its mobile suits were putting up heroic, but ultimately futile attempt against the Alliance. It would only be a matter of time before the numbers of the Earth Forces would overwhelm them and destroy them.

"What's going on here?" Cagalli asked as she entered the room.

Yuna nodded to her in greeting. "Cagalli."

Cagalli stared at the screens displaying the battle raging just outside Orb waters for a moment. "Yuna, what's the meaning of this? Is the Minerva battling the Earth Forces?"

"Yes. You are correct." Yuna answered. "They're right outside our border."

"They're facing such a huge fleet…"

"There's nothing to worry about Cagalli. We have a fleet sitting at our border just in case any of them try to cross into Orb territory. Though it's unlikely that will happen." Yuna nonchalantly replied. "But if it does, we'll be ready to stop them."

Cagalli couldn't stand it anymore. The Minerva and it's crew had been instrumental in saving the whole planet from the fall of Junius Seven. "You're going to keep the Minerva out of our waters? They won't have anywhere to run at this rate!"

"But isn't that Orb's rule?" Yuna asked. "Although it hasn't been officially signed yet, we have decided to go ahead and forge the alliance with the Atlantic Federation. Even you should be able to understand what sort of stance we should take now."

Cagalli was horrified. "But that ship-"

"That is a ZAFT warship, and ZAFT is an enemy of the Atlantic Federation, whom we're about to become allies with."

"But you can't-"

"This country isn't your plaything!" Yuna angrily snapped, cutting Cagalli off. "Will you stop making decisions based on how you feel?!"

"Shinn! Look out!" Suiren shouted.

The Zamza-Zah grabbed the Impulse's ankle and squeezed. The Impulse's battery dropped to zero, its phase shift armor deactivated and its ankle shattered under the pressure. The Impulse fell towards the ocean.

Images flashed through Shinn's mind as he fell. The death of his family, the battles at Armory One and the Debris Field, the events of Break the World and finally visiting the memorial at Orb. _'I won't…I won't let it end like this!'_

A crimson seed exploded in Shinn's mind. The Zamza-Zah aimed all four of its leg cannons at the falling Impulse and fired. Shinn pushed the Impulse's thruster to max, pulling away from the beams. "Minerva, fire the Deuterion Beam and prepare to launch the Leg Flyer and Sword Silhouette." he said as he raced towards the Minerva.

"_Roger."_ Meyrin replied as the Impulse neared the ship. _"Deuterion Chamber, standby. Targeting and tracking systems have locked onto the Impulse. Deuterion Beam activate!"_

The Minerva's Deuterion Beam Emitter fired as the Impulse stopped before the ship. The beam shot out, hitting the crest on the Impulse's forehead. The mobile suit's power level sharply rose until it was fully replenished. The Impulse's phase shift armor reactivated. Shinn drew one of his beam sabers and raced towards the Zamza-Zah. The mobile armor fired one of its leg cannons. Shinn blocked it with his shield, destroying it but sparing the rest of the mobile suit. Before the Zamza-Zah's pilot and gunners could react, Shinn drove his saber into the mobile armor's cockpit. Explosions tore through the front of the Zamza-Zah. The dying mobile armor fell into the sea and exploded.

"Launch the Silhouette!" Shinn ordered.

A moment later, a spare Leg Flyer and the Sword Silhouette were launched. Shinn detached the Impulse's Force Silhouette and damaged legs and then attached the second Leg Flyer and Sword Silhouette.

But Shinn didn't stop there. He headed for the Alliance fleet, destroying any Windams that crossed his path with ease. He landed on forward deck of a Des Moines-class and ran his swords through the ship's hull, main cannon and bridge before jumping to another ship, an Arkansas-class. He sliced into the ship's forward missile batteries, detonating the missiles inside the batteries. Explosions tore through the ship's forward hull. But again, Shinn didn't stick around. He leaped to another ship and started all over again.

In a matter of two minutes, Shinn had devastated much of the Alliance fleet's forward line. Almost a dozen ships were left burning and sinking in his path as Shinn continued on.

The Impulse landed on the Powell's deck, near the bridge tower. Shinn roared as he brought the combined Excalibur swords through the tower. The top of the bridge slid off the tower, crashing into the deck of the ship, erupting into flames.

Everyone watched on in disbelief. From the surviving Alliance soldiers to the crew of the Minerva to Orb personnel watching both from the fleet and Orb Military HQ, no one could believe what had happened. With the loss of the Zamza-Zah and the flagship, the surviving Alliance ships were full retreat. Shinn had single-handedly turned the tide of the whole battle.

Luna watched the Impulse with concern. "Shinn…"

"Unbelievable…" Tristan said, just as stunned as everyone else.

"Hmph. Maybe Asuka actually has some skill after all." Gekido nonchalantly added.

Suiren and Rey silently watched, two separate trains of thoughts running through their minds. _'Such rage.'_ Suiren thought. '_I haven't felt such raw emotion in a long time.'_

* * *

Carpentaria

A Few Hours Later

It had been long and bloody, but ZAFT had won the battle. The Earth Alliance forces had been routed and forced to retreat, and Carpentaria was once again under ZAFT control. Many of the ZAFT forces were already starting repair operations on the base as well as repairing and resupplying their mobile suits in case of a retaliatory strike.

Nicol lifted a bottle of water to his lips and downed the contents in a single gulp. "Man… It's been a long since I've been to Earth. Not since the last war. Of course, it takes another war to get me down here again." Saul mused as he drank his own water bottle. "I should really try visit when things aren't so messy."

"Same here." Nicol replied, staring out at the ocean. "I've been meaning to visit Orb for months now, but then this all happened. So I guess I won't be seeing Orb any time soon."

"Let's hope that we don't see Orb any time soon." Dearka said, approaching the pair. "The last time we were there, it was burning."

Saul nodded. "Yeah. That's something I don't want to see again."

"Speaking of Orb; how's Miriallia, Dearka?" Nicol asked.

"I don't know." Dearka admitted. "She was fine the last time we talked."

Nicol stared at Dearka for a moment, mulling things over. "You broke up with her, didn't you?" he finally said.

Dearka instantly blushed in embarrassment. "Er… Ah… I…"

"I told you, long distance relationships don't work. You should have just moved to Orb instead of staying in the PLANTs." Saul said.

Embarrassment quickly turned into annoyance. "Hey! I don't need dating advice from a guy who's never gone on a date."

"I have a girlfriend!" Saul shot back.

"Yeah right." Dearka sarcastically replied.

"No. It's true. A month ago, he took her to one of my concerts and we had coffee afterwards." Nicol said, confirming Saul's words.

"No way. You're pulling my leg."

"Naomi's real." Saul said. "She's an intern working at IDB with me. And we've been on several dates before this mess happened."

Nicol glanced out at sea. The Minerva was approaching the base. It looked like it had gone through one hell of a battle, but it had made it to Carpentaria.

"There's the Minerva. Our next assignment." Nicol said, changing the subject.

"It certainly looks impressive, but it's no Archangel." Dearka commented.

"That's for sure." Saul added.

* * *

Gibraltar

Like Carpentaria, ZAFT's attack had succeeded, driving the Earth Alliance forces from the base and now the cleanup and repair efforts were starting. Within a week, Gibraltar would be functional again. However, it would be longer until it was up to its original status.

Harr climbed down from his ZAKU and pulled off his helmet, letting the cool night air brush across his sweat soaked face. Revealing his slicked back dirty blond hair and gray eyes. "Whew… Feel that nice evening breeze." Heine said as he approached Harr. "The artificial climate of the PLANTs just don't do it justice."

Harr grinned and nodded. "Yeah."

"You're first time on Earth?"

"Yeah." Harr admitted.

"Same here. While I fought in the later months of the last war, it was all in space." Heine commented. "Though the Commander did fight on Earth during the war."

Harr glanced down Gibraltar's main runway. Lying at the end of the runway was the burning remains of the Zamza-Zah. Standing before it was the red ZAKU Phantom of their commander. It amazed Harr that the Commander had managed to take that thing down by himself. "What do you know about the Commander?"

"Not much. He doesn't like to talk about himself so it's next to impossible to learn anything about him." the Red Coat replied. "They say he was an ace in the last war and fought at Jachin Due. But I also heard that the war changed him, that he couldn't find peace after the war ended and for time, traveled across the PLANTs, the Moon and Earth."

"Why?"

Heine shrugged. "Don't know and he's never said why."

"My past is of no concern to you." the Commander said, startling the two.

Harr and Heine turned to their commanding officer, clad in his red and black flightsuit, the FAITH emblem standing out against the darker colors.

"Sorry sir, but you were amazing back there. I didn't think a single ZAKU could defeat that big monster." Harr said.

"Battles aren't won on the strength of a mobile suit alone. A weak pilot is a weak pilot even in the strongest of mobile suits and a strong pilot is still a strong pilot in weak mobile suit." the Commander replied. "That machine was powerful but the pilot was unskilled. Barely a challenge for a warrior like myself." He turned to Heine. "I assume the command center has been retaken."

Heine nodded.

"Good. I'll be there. See to it that our machines are resupplied. I don't want to take any chances." the Commander said, walking away from the pair.

Once the Commander was beyond hearing range, Harr asked, "Is he always like that?"

"Pretty much." Heine casually answered. "He takes all that warrior stuff very seriously."

* * *

Aprilius One

Athrun zipped up the red coat of his uniform and buttoned up the front of his coat. Meer smiled and clapped as Chairman Durandal approached him with a small case in his hands. "Here. Take this." the Chairman said.

Inside the case was a FAITH emblem. Athrun was stunned. "That's a…"

"Yes. I don't want to be placed within the normal chain of command and I'm sure that it would be troublesome for you as well." Durandal explained. "Making you a member of FAITH will make things more convenient for both of us. Although the members of FAITH are supposed to pledge their allegiance solely to the Chairman, you can just pledge your allegiance to your beliefs and convictions."

Athrun was at a loss for words. "Chairman Durandal, I…"

"You're a person who can follow what you believe, never wavering, and fight when necessary."

But Athrun wasn't quite so sure of that. "I'd like to believe that is true, Chairman…"

"You can. Please, use that power to do what you believe is right." the Chairman said, trying to reassure him. "Use it to bring about peace. Not just for the PLANTs and ZAFT, but for a world where humanity can live as one."

Athrun took the FAITH emblem and pinned to his chest. "Sir."

Durandal smiled briefly. "I'm sure that you're worried about Orb and the position they're take, but right now I need you to join the Minerva. I have high hopes for that ship. I have the feeling that it could play the same role that Archangel did in the previous war." he said. "I want you to help them achieve greatness.

* * *

Djibril's Bunker

To say that Djibril was angry after learning that both Gibraltar and Carpentaria had been recaptured would be an understatement. He was furious. Everything had been going so well. ZAFT had been on the ropes, only few more blows and they would have been finished. But somehow they had managed to turn things around. ZAFT's new warship, the Minerva according to his spies, and its mobile suits had managed to rout the fleet he had sent to destroy them, and destroyed the Zamza-Zah while ZAFT forces had managed to retake Carpentaria. But what was truly gulling was what happened at Gibraltar. A _single_ ZAKU had destroyed the Zamza-Zah at Gibraltar! It was impossible! The Zamza-Zah was one of the most advanced weapons they had developed. A lone ZAKU shouldn't have been able to destroy it!

Djibril slammed his fist on his console in frustration before calling one of his assistants. "Get me Captain Roanoke. _Now!_"

* * *

Carpentaria

Later That Night

Diana Kessel strolled through Carpentaria's command center, only a skeleton crew of trusted officers was with her, manning the command center. The Alliance had already shipped the base's surviving personnel to POW camps by the time of their attack, so at the moment, she, as the senior officer on the base, was in charge until ZAFT sent a new Commander for the base. Though her current responsibilities were little than making sure the base stayed in Alliance hands and to oversee the start of the clean up and repair operations.

"Ma'am, we're receiving a coded transmission from the Terminal." the man operating the comm station said.

Diana turned to the man, motioning for him to leave the console. "Secure the room. I do not want any unwanted guests showing up." she ordered, taking the man's seat. "This is Diana."

"_It's good to here from you, my former student."_ came the reply.

Diana instantly stiffened upon hearing the voice. "Sir."

"At ease, Diana. I can hear you saluting all the way from Orb." John replied with a chuckle.

"_We're going through with it. The Winter Contingency has been initiated. As we speak, both the Factory and the Enclave are being activated and prepped for production."_

"Already? I would have thought Miss Clyne would have waited awhile longer to see how things play out first."

"_She wanted to, but then she saw the fake Lacus that Chairman Durandal has. Needless to say, we wished to be prepared for whatever he or the Alliance is planning. Therefore, the Factory and the Enclave are being activated. Both facilities will be working on the GEL Project together while the Factory will be working on the DOM and Trinity Projects, and the Enclave will be working on the Four Horsemen and the Knights Projects."_

"That's a lot of projects for them to be working on."

"_Not really. Both the Four Horsemen and Knights are just refits on preexisting machines. It's the other projects that are the… Damn_!"

"Sir?"

"_Can't talk now. Intruders."_

* * *

And done. Now, I don't know when the next chapter will be done, but one week from now, on November first, I will post at least something. As that is my birthday and I always post at least one chapter on that day.

Also, before anyone points out that the Zamza-Zah has a pilot and two gunners, I know that, but the Commander didn't. As far as he knew, it was piloted by a single man.

As always, review. Especially given how close I am to 200 hundred reviews.


	14. PrePhase 1: Memories of Blood

Yo everybody and Happy Halloween! I have to say, I'm a little sadden that my last chapter was just two reviews shy of 200 reviews. Originally, I was going to post this with the chapter I'm working on right now, but I've decided to put this one up for Halloween.

Now, I feel that I should give you fair warning. This chapter is a bit on the graphic and mature side as it deals with a bit of the background of my Extended and one of several that will cover events between SEED and Destiny. Though I did edit out some of the more bloody bits. But if you find things like child soldiers, the killing of said child soldiers, blood and etc. you'll probably want to skip this chapter. Don't worry, there's nothing important to the plot of Destiny in this chapter. You won't be missing anything major.

Finally, exia00, remember what you said. I don't want to see another anonymous review from you.

And for those of you who can't remember the Extended's serial numbers, here they are again.

EX-C1304-Treize

EX-C0801-Reccoa

EX-C0616-Rezin

EX-C1004-Mariemaia

EX-C0314-Gyunei

**Pre-Phase 1: Memories of Blood**

Outside Training Field 16

Near Lodonia

June 29 C.E. 73

"_EX-C units."_ Dr Mikhail Andres, head of the EX-C Project, said over the speakers. _"You have all preformed exceptionally. Well __beyond my expectations. However, ultimately, only the best of you can join Phantom Pain."_

EX-C1304 stood at attention alongside his fellow Extended. The bandages wrapped around the upper portion of his face almost blending into his wild white hair. His mismatched eyes locked onto the doctor. He, like his fellow Extended, was clad in standard military fatigues.

Before them was Training Field 16, the largest training areas of the Lodonia facility. Two square kilometers of trees and brush, with dirt paths and small bunkers made of logs and dirt.

"_So, we will have a competition. In the training area before you, are a number of caches of weapons hidden throughout the area. You will all start off in different parts of the training area, unarmed. When I give the signal you will begin the competition. It will not end until only a few of you are left. Your goal is simple, be one of those that survive. No matter the cost."_

None of the Extended reacted to these orders. It didn't matter to them. They created to fight and kill for the Alliance. That was all they cared about. They would kill any target they were ordered to. Men, women, children. Even each other. It didn't matter. There were enemies to kill, and that was what they excelled at. Killing enemies. And 1304 was going to win, because he was a master at killing enemies.

* * *

_April 14 C.E. 73_

"_1304, your objectives are simple. Eliminate all targets within the time limit." the voice over the speakers of training field said. "You may begin when you hear the horn."_

_1304 glanced around at his surroundings. He was standing amid a ring of trees surrounding a clearing. The clearing itself was filled with craters and dugouts with a small open-top cement bunker in the center. A dozen armed child soldiers were spread across the clearing. They had sub-machineguns and pistols while all he had was a knife. And they were all between the ages of ten and twelve. Likely they had only a few months of training at most._

_They didn't stand a chance._

_The horn blew. The exercise had begun._

_1304 slowly crept around the ring of trees, studying the layout of the soldiers while collecting a few decent-sized rocks. After around twenty minutes, he figured out their formation. Six were together in the bunker while the remaining six were spread out amongst the foxholes and dugouts. And they were on edge and likely had some minor combat drugs coursing through their systems to keep fighting, but overly aggressive as well._

_He threw one of his larger stones to his right, into the woods. It hit the branches of a tree, creating snapping, rustling sounds. Instantly, many of the children started firing in the direction of the stone. 1304 took off, sprinting towards the nearest foxhole, which incidentally, had one of the soldiers inside, firing at the rock he threw. The child emptied the clip of his pistol as 1304 reached him. 1304's hand shot out, covering the child's mouth before he plunged the knife into her chest. None of the others heard him._

_A moment later, he was loading a fresh clip into the pistol. 1304 slowly raised his head over the mouth of the hole, his mismatched eyes scanning the area._

"_You two, go check it out!" a boy, their leader, ordered._

_1304 smirked as two soldiers rose from their dugouts and crept towards the area they had been shooting at while the attention of the others was on them and that area. Big mistake._

_No one noticed as 1304 left his foxhole and crept through two more before stopping at third, near the bunker. 1304 threw two more rocks, one to the left of the bunker, one to the right. The soldiers instinctively began firing in both directions._

_That was the flaw of young child soldiers like these ones. They only really know how to shoot and that when in doubt; shoot at anything that wasn't on your side._

_A young boy started to scream, wildly firing his sub-machinegun into the trees. When his clip ran dry he continued to scream and squeeze the trigger. One of his comrades, a girl around his age, rose from her foxhole and slapped the boy, stopping him. "Stop being weak!" she shouted as the boy stared at her. "We have enemies to kill!"_

_The boy snapped, tackling the girl to the ground. The boy roared as he started beating girl with his bare hands. A gunshot rang out; everything went quiet for a moment. Then the bloodied girl rose from the foxhole._

'_Two down, ten to go.' 1304 thought, his pistol in one hand, the knife in the other._

_1304 dove into the bunker, shooting one soldier and grabbing his body as reached the bunker. He quickly shot two more as they turned around and took out the knee of a third. The two remaining soldiers fired, their bullets hitting 1304's human shield. 1304 smirked and fired twice. Both children collapsed. "You won't beat me freak!!" the wounded boy shouted firing his pistol. "For the preservation of our blue and pure world!! Die! Die! DIE!!"_

_He felt a sudden, sharp stinging pain in his left shoulder, but ignored it and finished the boy off. 1304 then dropped his shield and grabbed a sub-machinegun from the ground. He crouched against a wall of the bunker, blood sliding down his shoulder. It hurt, but he ignored it. Pain was the one constant in his world. Whether it was from the procedures, from punishments for mistakes, or from exercises like this; pain was always there. It was either embrace it or die. Naturally, he had embraced it and it had made him stronger._

_1304 rose up, firing off a burst of bullets. He ducked as the remaining child soldiers fired. Each of them only had a few clips, so all he needed to do was wait them out. When they stopped firing, he rose again and quickly ducked down as they fired again._

_The soldiers seemed to realize his plan and two of them rushed for the bunker while the other two laid down covering fire. But 1304 was ready for them. As the two of them reached the bunker, 1304 jump backwards. He was too fast for them. 1304 picked them both off with his guns as they tried to aim at him._

"_Ten down, two to go!" 1304 loudly proclaimed._

_The first of the remaining two, the bloodied girl from earlier, roared as she rose from her dugout and sprinting towards the bunker, wildly firing the last clip of her sub-machinegun. As expected, she used up her bullets before she reached him. 1304 pulled out his knife as she jumped into the bunker, swinging her gun as a club. His free hand shot out and grabbed the hand holding the gun, stopping her. The girl lashed out with her other hand. But she was too late. 1304 thrust his knife forward._

"_Eleven down, one to go!" 1304 called out, raising his head over the edge of the bunker. The remaining soldier screamed, firing his pistol at him. 1304 ducked and waited for the shooting to stop. "Throw down your weapon! You've already lost!"_

_The child roared, firing his last rounds. "No! Fire! Fire!" the child screamed, trying to fire his empty gun._

_1304 climbed out of the bunker, knife in hand, walking towards the child's foxhole. The boy cried out, rushing towards. He lashed out, swinging at 1304 with his pistol. 1304 grabbed the boy's moving arm, stopping it as he slammed his knife into the child's leg._

_The boy howled in agony as 1304's hands wrapped around the throat of last child. A boy of about eleven or twelve. The dark haired child fought back, clawing at his as he struggled to breath. But the child wasn't strong enough. His movements slowed and his body started to go limp. In a blur of speed, 1304 spun him around and snapped his neck. 1304 dropped the dead child and stared at his bloodstained hands for a moment. Staring at the blood of children on his hands. Something snapped within him and 1304 let out a loud roar. A roar of victory and defeat, of joy and agony._

* * *

1304 smirked. Today would end just like that day. With blood-soaked, but victorious hands.

* * *

Training Field 16 Control Room

"So these are the surviving EX-C units." an amused Lord Djibril said as stared at the wall of monitors before them. "I'm surprised you have any left from the rate you were going through them."

"Are they truly as combat effective as your reports described?" Captain Neo Roanoke added.

"Lord Djibril, Captain Roanoke, any doubts you have about them will be silenced soon enough." Dr. Andras replied as one of his aides was typing away at the console before them.

"But why subject them to this competition?" Roanoke asked. "We only need the top three or four."

Dr. Andres smiled. "Simple. Because it will cut the chaff from the wheat while burning the chaff at the same time. If we didn't do this, my staff would have to end up liquidating the failures. A difficult and potential dangerous procedure I assure you. But if we get them to fight each other to the death, the weak ones will die off, leaving only the strongest. It's a win-win for all of us. Besides, their only purpose is to serve as our weapons. A weak weapon is a useless weapon."

Djibril smirked, agreeing with the Doctor's words. Neo, on the other hand, was more pragmatic. While he didn't like Andras and his words, Djibril agreed with him and that meant that he must fall in line as well. "I see your point, Doctor." he said blandly.

"Any predictions on who the winners will be?" Djibril asked.

"Oh there's one subject that I know will survive." Andres said, pulling up one of the EX-C profiles. "Unit 1304. He is the best of all the EX-C units. My personal pride and joy. No matter what we threw at him, he survived. In exercises that should have been virtually impossible to win, he won. Naturally, I took such a _determined _individual and remade him into something truly great. 1304 stands apart from all other Extended. A warrior of unparallel ability. Not even the pilots of the Freedom and the Justice, that gave all those problems at Orb, Mendel and Jachin Due, could compete with him."

Djibril stared at the profile for a moment and then started to laugh. "I believe you're right, Doctor. Anyone else?"

"The rest are at about the same level. Any of them could fill out the remaining spots."

* * *

"_You may begin."_ Dr Andres said over the loudspeakers.

Unit EX-C1304 grinned. Only in battle did he ever feel truly alive. Especially against strong opponents, like his fellow Extended.

He took off, searching for, not for weapons, but opponents. They had programmed him with the knowledge of several forms of unarmed combat and wilderness survival tactics. And in addition, he knew the general layout of Training Area 16. Of course, his opponents had the same programming and knowledge, so they were just as deadly.

But he would not lose. Even to them.

It didn't take him long to find an opponent. Unit 0203, a younger female. She lunged at him with a combat knife. 1304 raised his arms to defend himself. The knife sliced into his right forearm. But the cut was shallow. A diversion. As he was distracted by the knife swing, 0203 kicked him in stomach. 1304 stumbled back and she lunged at him again, aiming at his heart. He ducked under her blow and grabbed her legs, throwing her to ground. She should have dropped the knife, but 0203 held her weapon in a death grip. She wasn't going to let go of it that easily. 1304 straddled the fallen girl. 0203 lashed at him with her knife. He grabbed her knife arm with his hands and started pulling and twisting. There was a sickening pop as 0203's shoulder dislocated. The female Extended let out a loud groan of pain, only to be punched in the face. 1304 continued to mercilessly strike at the girl as he held her injured arm with his other hand. 0203 tried to raise her other arm to block his punches, but it did little good. The knife slid from her grip and 1304 grabbed it from the ground.

A moment later, he was making a bandage for his arm with a shred of 0203's shirt. She certainly didn't anymore. A predatory grin spread across his face as he left, entering deeper into the training area. Now he had a weapon and there was one less competitor on the field.

* * *

"Thank you. You were an excellent dance partner." 1004 whispered, pulling one of her knives from the chest of one of her fellow Extended.

1004 couldn't remember who this particular Extended was, but he was dead anyway, so it didn't matter. Besides only 1304, her big brother was worth remembering. She smiled as crept into the brush, searching for more dance partners. Win or lose, it didn't matter. The dance would go on and on.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

She stopped. That gunfire was close. Very close. A grin spread across 1004's face. Another dance partner! 1004 watched from the bushes as another Extended, armed with a pistol, cautiously walked though the woods, looking for any sign of trouble.

1004 crouched down low, hiding herself in the brush as much as possible while waiting for the right moment. Her dance partner stopped, scanning the area she was hiding in. Suddenly, something moved in the brush behind him. The Extended spun around and fired, hitting and killing another Extended that had tried to get drop on him.

However, the second the shot was fired, 1004 threw one of her combat knives at her dance partner. The knife flew, piercing his spine. The Extended fell forward, his legs now useless. But still he fought on. He pulled the knife from his back and managed to roll onto his back, firing at the bushes. Though he hit nothing as 1004 was already gone. "Where are you?!" the Extended demanded. "Come out so I can kill you!"

"You're a rather poor dance partner." 1004 called out. "But I guess that not everyone can be a great dancer partner."

"You! You're that crazy bitch! The one wouldn't die like the others!" the enraged Extended shouted as he fired into the trees and bushes. "I won't die at your hands!"

1004's eyes widened at his words. _Crazy bitch…Wouldn't die like the others…_

She let out a loud scream as images of cruel doctors and their agonizing procedures, injections that brought only burning pain, brutal training regiments and even worse punishments assaulted her mind. She remembered how the strain of everything tore apart her mind and body, how for what seemed like an eternity, she floated between the void of life and death, of sanity and madness.

1004 hated the past. It always hurt to think of her past. To see the images of people, places and events that didn't make sense to her and how empty they made her feel. She _hated_ those images. She hated them more than anything else. If she could, she would tear apart those images, incinerate them and scatter the ashes to the void of space.

"_Don't worry… Everything will be fine… We can make it…"_ a voice from the past echoed from her few oldest intact memories, calming her down. _"We'll survive… Be strong…y__ou'll survive…"_

1004 blinked her eyes a few times, returning from her past and memories. She was kneeling over her now dead dance partner. His face was now unrecognizable as both it and his chest was little more than a collection of knife wounds. 1004 glanced at the bloody knives in her hands and shrugged. He was dead and the dance had slowed down. She stood up, heading deeper into the training grounds.

Like always, the dance would reach a lull for time, but eventually, it would come back and she would be there, at the heart of it. The one place where things made sense.

* * *

A pair of Extended, armed with knives, squared off. One lunged at the other, thrusting his knife towards his opponent, who sidestepped the attack and sliced into his left shoulder.

_BANG! BANG!_

One Extended took a round in his side while the other bullet tore through the shoulder of the second. The injured warriors turned towards where the gunshots had come from.

"A shame that you had the misfortune of running into me." 0314 said, a pistol in his hands. "You might have actually survived today."

Both wounded Extended forgot about their fight and rushed towards 0314. The sound of more gunshots tore through the air. 0314 laughed as the two collapsed. "Trying to kill me with knives? Who do you think you are? Me?" he mockingly asked.

Naturally, they didn't respond. 0314 couldn't help but grin. This was his kind of exercise. A chance to prove his superiority over the other Extended. Maybe he'd even get lucky and run into 1304. He hated that arrogant prick and how everyone proclaimed him to be the greatest of the Extended. A title that should rightfully be his! A title they had cheated him out of _repeatedly!_

0314 had challenged 1304 many, many time in the past, seeking to prove his superiority over him. But they always ended the same way…

* * *

_December 28 C.E. 72_

_0314 lunged forward, his right fist racing towards 1304. But 1304 was faster. His left arm rose up, blocking his punch while his other fist slammed into 0314's stomach with a great deal of force. 0314 stumbled back from the impact. 1304 pressed his attack, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to his head. 0314 fell to the ground, but he wasn't out yet. He rolled out of the way as 1304 drove his foot downward on him, kicking out 1304's other leg as he moved. While 1304 fell, 0314 flipped back onto his feet. Like 1304 did, 0314 drove his foot downward, intending to stomp on his head. But once again, 1304 was faster than him, rolling out of the way before the foot hit him. 1304 quickly shot up tackling 0314, sending both back to the ground. 0314's hands shot up, wrapping around his opponents throat. 1304 gasped as his hands automatically grabbed his arms, fighting to break the hold. For a few moments, it appeared like they were evenly matched, but it only appeared that way. 1304 pulled 0314's arms away, pinning them to the ground and then 1304 headbutted the younger Extended. 0314 cried out in pain, blood gushing from his nose. 1304 let go of his arms and began to brutally beat his opponent. 0314 weakly tried to defend himself, but it was futile._

"_Enough 1304!" one of the doctors called out. "It's over."_

_As commanded, 1304 stopped his assault on 0314 and rose to his feet, standing at attention._

_He couldn't end it end like this again. He could still fight! "No…" rasped 0314 as he weakly tried to get up. "I can…still fight… I'm not beaten…yet…"_

_1304 sneered at him. "Pathetic. When will you learn? You're too weak to defeat me. Not in thousand years could you hope to defeat me."_

_0314 slowly sat up. "NO… I am stronger… I am…the strongest…"_

"_No. You are nothing more than a mongrel dog. How could you ever hope to defeat me?" 1304 said, kicking him._

_Darkness consumed 0314._

* * *

0314 scowled at the memory. 1304 had been lucky that the doctors had ended the fight, just like all the other times. He may have held the advantage when they ended the fight, but 1304 wouldn't have won fight. They all knew that he would have killed 1304 in the end and the doctors couldn't stand the thought of their precious 1304 dying. But now… 0314 smirked at the thought.

But now there was no one to protect him.

* * *

2024 slowly crept through a heavily wooded area, careful to avoid making as much noise as possible while he searched around for any potential threat. Unfortunately, as he moved between two close together trees, he felt his foot step on wire.

The last thing he heard before the fireball consumed him was someone shouting "Boom!"

0616 laughed as she emerged from her hiding place. That box of grenades she had found was truly a blessing. Sure there had only been one explosive grenade amid the box of smoke and teargas grenades, but it was worth it just to see that one explosion.

She walked over to the site of the blast. Bits of 2024's legs were scattered about, but the rest of them was relatively intact, albeit burnt. However, the sub-machinegun he had been carrying survived the blast in one piece. It had thrown against a tree, but it had inflicted more damage to the tree than it had sustained.

"Thank you for the gift. I'll be sure to put it to good use." 0616 said to her fallen brethren. "Oh, and thank you for that wonder explosion. It was a beautiful work of art."

Many wondered why she loved explosions so much. But that was her secret. If she revealed it, the doctors would probably take it way. She could vaguely recall the doctors taking those kinds of things from other Extended. She didn't want to lose that memory, her earliest, clear memory. The memory of that glorious explosion, its light illuminating her existence as it consumed the world.

She would never let anyone take that from her.

So glorious was that explosion that refused to die until she could recreate that explosion. Until then, she wasn't going to die. So, she was going to kill everyone and anyone that would try to stop her or kill her. Including the other Extended.

A grin spread across her face. "Maybe I'll even find some more grenades and be able to create more lovely explosions." 0616 said to herself.

* * *

0801 glanced around at her surroundings. She had located a bunker made of logs and dirt, with a decent stockpile of weapons. The most logical choice was stay in the bunker and defend it against anyone that came near. Many of her 'peers' would call that cowardly and weak. But it was simple fact. One could easily survive this battle if they found a safe, defendable position to waited things out as the others slaughtered each other. In fact, it was possible that she won't have to do anything but wait.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth. "Be quiet" someone whispered into her ear. "I have a proposition for you."

She knew the voice. Unit 1304. One of the more intelligent Extended. "I propose that we team up, defend this bunker together from the others. Our chances of survival will be much greater than if we continue operating alone."

There was truth in his words, but at the same time, 1304 was a vicious and cunning individual. She was no fool. He only cared about his own survival but he was one of the strongest of the Extended. So if it helped insure her survival, than she would play until it endangered her life or the exercise ended.

1304 removed his hand, but was still on guard for anything. "I agree." 0801 said, turning to face him. "Our chances of survival would increase by working together."

A grin spread across 1304's face. "Good."

As agreed, the two took up defensive position within the bunker. It didn't take long for their first opponent to arrive. 1304's 'nemesis', 0314. An overemotional and violent teen in 0801's mind. His obsession with being recognized as the strongest Extended, was sickening. Only a fool wouldn't recognize 1304 as the superior Extended.

Needless to say, the instant that 0314 saw him, he opened fire with his pistol and dove from tree to tree. Both 1304 and 0801 fired back, but 0314 didn't stop moving amid the trees and brush, making a hard target to hit.

"Stop shooting at my brother!!" a voice cried out.

At that moment, 0314 was reloading his handgun when 1004 appeared from out of nowhere, surprising both him and everyone else as she attacked. 0314 managed to back as a pair of knives slashed through the air where he had been standing.

0801 shook her head as 1004 wildly lashed out at 0314, forcing him back. 1004 was easily one of the most mentally unbalanced of their generation that was still alive. Frankly, it was a surprise that the doctors hadn't liquidated her along with the other unbalanced Extended. Perhaps it was because that unlike those that had fallen into full-blown psychosis, she still followed orders. Especially if given by her 'brother'.

"Don't shoot at her." 1304 said. "She could be useful."

0801 nodded. It was true. 1304 could control her quite easily and so long as they were allies, she would not attack her.

Suddenly, a grenade flew into the bunker. Teargas poured out. Treize swore as they started cough, tears welling up in their eyes. They had to get out of the bunker before the gas overwhelmed them, even if it meant exposing themselves to danger.

As they emerged from the bunker, so did 0616 from the woods, throwing a pair of smoke grenades into the clearing. Smoke filled the clearing, obscuring the vision of all the Extended. Chaos reined. Gunshots filled the air as figures moved within the smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the Extended found themselves in a standoff. 1304 had his pistols aimed at 0314 and 0616. 1004 had a knife pressed against the side of 0801's throat as blood poured from a wound on her right shoulder. 0801 was aiming at 0616. 0616 was ready to take out 1004. And 0314's pistol was trained on 1304 as blood ran down his arms from several knife wounds.

"It seems were at an impasse here. We could shoot, and likely kill or wound each other. Or we call a truce and work together against the others" 1304 commented.

"They only need a few of us. Five may be too many." 0616 pointed out.

"True. But if we work together, we'll eliminate all the others first, our individual odds of winning increase." 1304 replied, surprising everyone as he lowered his handguns. "An individual's odds of winning are much better among a group of five."

"Indeed. It makes sense to me." 0801 said as she lowered her weapon. "We work together to thin out the herd. Then if need be, we fight over the few positions open. I am for it."

0616 nodded, lowering her gun. "Same here."

"I'm always with Big Brother." 1004 said joyfully, pulling her knife way from 0801's neck, a small trickle of blood crawled down her throat from a shallow wound.

Everyone turned to 0311. He scowled. It was either agree or have the four of them team up against him. "Fine. I'm in as well. For now anyway."

1304 nodded. "Take up defensive positions. We will defend this location." he ordered. "Leave no one alive. Everyone else must die for us to live."

* * *

Training Field 16 Control Room

Later

Andras smirked as they watched the battle play out. The EX-C Units were performing excellently. On a screen, 0801 took aim with a rifle and fired twice. The first round tore the knee of 0501 and as he fell, the second round hit him in the center of his forehead.

"Amazing. Truly amazing." Djibril said. "With soldiers like these, the Coordinators don't stand a chance."

While they were all among his greatest works, 1304 was the best. The greatest Extended to date. All others paled in comparison to him. Though for how long it would remain that way, he couldn't say. For the data gain from the EX-Cs, specifically 1304, were already laying the foundation of the fourth generation.

"It looks like they're almost done." Neo commented. "There are only eleven of them left."

"Yes." Andras said, watching the monitors. "Those six appear to have gathered together and are preparing to attack the group. It will all be over in ten minutes. Which ever group wins that fight will be our winners."

"But we only need four." Neo stated. "Given that we're already getting Extended from the Second Generation as well, there's little point in taking more than we need."

"Nonsense Neo." Djibril said. "These Extended are more than we had originally hoped for. Who cares if we take a few extras. Their abilities are more than worth the added costs."

They watched as the second group dispersed, moving to attack the bunker from multiple sides. It was a smart plan. There were only five of them in the bunker while six of them were attacking. It only took one slipping in to inflict damage and potentially disrupt their defenses.

* * *

The attack came suddenly and from all sides. Six Extended, armed with assault rifle and sub-machineguns, rushed towards the bunker from six different directions, firing their weapons. 1304 found himself facing down two Extended, 0712 and 1106. The two opened fire with their assault rifles, forcing him to duck down as the ran towards. But the second they stopped, he rose up, firing four shots from his handgun before ducking back down. The shots from the gun in his left hand missed completely. But his other shots hit their target, 1106's chest. The young man stopped, clutching his chest with one hand as he fell to his knees, dying.

But 0712 didn't stop to help him in any way; instead she rushed towards the bunker, firing off burst of bullets as she ran. 0712 fired off one last burst from her rifle as she reached the bunker before throwing it at 1304 and jumping into the bunker. 1304 sidestepped the flying weapon, only to be tackled by 0712. But the girl was much smaller than him. 1304 pushed her off of him and rushed back up to his feet as 0712 did the same. 0712 came flying at his face, 1304 pulled his head back, narrowly missing the kick. 1304 struck back with thunderous blow to her abdomen. 0712 staggered back, winded but not beaten. He moved closer to her, ready to deliver another blow, only to a knee to his chest. 0712 follow up with several punches to his upper chest and head before finishing with a kick that knocked him into the wall behind him.

1304 spat out a gob of blood. He then lunged forward, grabbing 0712 and slamming her against the wooden wall of bunker. He drove his knee into her abdomen before throwing her head first into the opposite wall. 0712 collapsed, but didn't stay down for long. She climbed to her feet, blood trailing down her face. She roared as she lunged at him, tackling 1304 again. The two fell to the ground, 0712 on top of him. Fists rained down on 1304's head as 0712 punched him furiously. "I'm not going to die! I'm going to kill you!" 0712 screamed.

But in her zeal, she didn't notice that 1304's hand was reaching for his fallen sidearm. "Too late! You're already dead!" 1304 yelled, thrusting the barrel of the gun into her chest.

_BANG!_

0712 fell back, grasping the bullethole in her chest. "Damn you…" she rasped, sitting up while searching for a weapon she could use to defend herself. But there weren't any close enough for her to reach.

_BANG! BANG!_

0712 collapsed, dead before she hit the ground. 1304 stood up, wiping the blood from his face. He glanced around. The others were still alive, having killed their attacks as well.

Suddenly, a burst of fire tore the air above him, forcing 1304 down. 1106 was still alive. "You won't beat me! If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" he screamed, still on his knees and firing. "Die!!"

The rifle's clip ran dry. 1106 raced to replace it. But it was already too late. 1304 rose up and fired a single shot. The bullet tore through 1106's throat and he fell forward, clutching his bloody throat as he gasped for air.

* * *

"And then there were five." Djibril said as they watched 1106 die. "They are clearly the best of the best."

Andras studied the monitors carefully. "Yes. I think we have our winners. Five highly capable combat units, ready for whatever Operations Phantom Pain needs for them." Andras pushed a button on the console. "EX-C Units, congratulations. The exercise is completed. The five of you are last ones standing." he said over the training area's speakers.

Djibril smirked. "Excellent. You have done well Doctor." he complimented. "When the time comes, the Coordinators won't know what hit them. In the mean time however, I have need of them in Central America. It seems that there are some troublemakers causing us some headaches and the local commanders seem to be less than capable of dealing with them. How long until they can be sent there?"

"An hour, an hour and a half at most." Andras replied.

Djibril nodded his head. "Good. Captain Roanoke will be their commanding officer and he brief them on the mission. I trust that won't be a problem."

"Of course not, Lord Djibril."

* * *

An Hour Later

The five Extended quietly boarded the plane, now clad in the blues and pinks of Earth Alliance junior officer uniforms, though their faces were still covered in bandages. Unlike 1004, who had chosen to wear the standard mini-skirt, both 0801 and 0616 wore pants instead.

The cabin of the plane was empty. They were the only passengers on board. As they were about to take their seats, an Earth Alliance Captain, clad in a black uniform with a red and gray masked helmet entered the cabin from the cockpit.

"Greetings. I am Captain Neo Roanoke of the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group, also known as Phantom Pain." Neo said, introducing himself to the Extended. "From now on, you are all ensigns of Phantom Pain and I am your commanding officer. That means that you now obey my orders. Do you understand?" The Extended nodded their heads. "Good, now what are your names?"

"EX-C1304."

"EX-C0801."

"EX-C0616."

"EX-C1004."

"EX-C0314."

Neo shook his head. "No. Not your serial numbers. Your names."

The Extended became visibly uncomfortable. None of them were sure how to answer that question. "Names...We don't have names..." 1004 answered.

0801 nodded. "They said it was forbidden for us to have names as we weren't real people."

Roanoke sighed and shook his head again. "That just won't do. I'll have to give you names myself." He paused for a moment. "When I come up with some." he said before clearing his throat. "Now, I have a mission for you. There are some trouble some pests in Central America that have been harassing Alliance interests. Your job will be to exterminate these pests."

* * *

And done. Now, unless something major happens, I will post the next chapter tomorrow.


	15. Phase Thirteen: Resurrected Wings

Yo everybody! I would have had this up earlier today. But it was my birthday today, so I was busy for much of the day and didn't get a chance to finish it up until a little while ago.

This is a short chapter, but it sets things for the next chapter with Athrun joining the Minerva and the crashing of Cagalli's wedding. So enjoy as I enjoy my cake.

And special thanks to iCards for leaving review number 200.

**Phase Thirteen: Resurrected Wings**

ZAFT Carpentaria Base

Talia, her XO and Suiren were the first to disembark from the Minerva. A group of ZAFT officers were waiting for them. Both groups saluted each other. "Diana Kessel, temporary Commander of Carpentaria." Diana said, introducing herself.

Talia already knew Diana Kessel by reputation, but then there were few in ZAFT that didn't her and the 11th Fleet. A white haired Commander stepped forward. "Commander Yzak Joule." Yzak said.

"I'm Captain Talia Gladys and this is my XO, Arthur Trine, and our now former mobile suit team commander, Suiren Kyusai." Talia replied.

Diana nodded. "What is the Minerva's status?"

"She took a pounding out there, but our crews should be able to have her fully repaired in a few days." Talia answered.

"I'll see to it that a few of our repair crews help with repairs in the morning." Diana said.

"Commander Kessel, there's no need-"

But Diana cut her off. "Nonsense. It's the least we can do. Not only did the Minerva take on an Alliance battle group by itself, but you also drew a number of their forces from the base, including that new weapon of theirs." she said. "We owe you and your crew a great deal, Captain Gladys."

"Thank you." Talia said. She wasn't about to turn down her offer of assistance. Talia turned to Yzak. "Commander Joule, I'd like to welcome you and your team to the Minerva."

"Thank you Captain Gladys." Yzak replied with a noticeable edge to his voice.

Talia could tell that he wasn't particularly happy with his reassignment either.

Yzak turned to Suiren. "Kyusai, I want a full briefing on your team and your mobile suits." he said to her. "Let's see what I'm getting myself into." He added quietly.

* * *

A Few Hours Later

By some small fluke, the Carpentaria Base's pilot lounge had survived both battles with only minor damage. Needless to say, many of the off-duty ZAFT pilots and officers were enjoying themselves with its facilities.

An old piano had been set up in corner of the lounge. Nicol remembered it from when he was briefly in Carpentaria during the last war. There were nicks and scratches across its wooden body, more than he remembered, but it was still in tune and playable. Nicol's fingers danced across the white and black keys. The lounge filled with the sounds of his playing. Most of the people there glanced at Nicol for a moment or two before returning to what they were doing. Others simply sat and watched the green haired young man, enjoying the beautiful music.

But as quickly as he started, Nicol stopped playing. Someone was looming over his shoulder. Nicol glanced over his shoulder. A blonde haired, blue eyed Red Coat pilot was standing behind him. "Can I help you?" Nicol asked.

"Don't mind me. I was just admiring your playing." the young man said. "I'm Rey Za Burrel. I went to one of your concerts, months ago. It's an honor to hear you play again, Nicol Amalfi."

"Thank you."

"I'm a bit of a piano player myself." Rey added. "Though I admit that I'm not as good as you."

"Well, have you ever played duets?"

"Not in a long time."

Nicol slid over, gesturing for Rey to sit down. The blond haired Red Coat sat down next to his green haired comrade. Nicol started off with a slow and simple song for Rey, who quickly matched the tune. "Good." Nicol said. "Now let's try something a little harder."

Nicol changed to a more difficult sound. Again, Rey quickly matched the song. "You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for."

Rey nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

Two continued playing in sync together, filling the lounge with music.

"Looks like Nicol's found himself a partner." Saul commented as he dealt out the cards. "Guess he's not the only musically inclined soldier in ZAFT."

Dearka shrugged. "They're welcome to it. I couldn't carry a tune to save my life."

"Meh. This ain't my kind of music." Gekido said, examining his cards. "Though I imagine it's among Pretty Boy's favorites."

"Hey! Just because I come from a rich family does not mean that I like classical music." Tristan said. Everyone stared at him for a moment. "Okay. I do like classical music, but that's beside the point."

"You can dress up like Lacus Clyne and sing her songs for all I care." Saul said impatiently. "Let's focus on the game at hand."

"Hey, how'd you guess Pretty Boy's favorite thing to do?" Gekido asked, earning laughter from him, Dearka and Saul as a dumbstruck Tristan stared at him. After a few minutes, the three of them managed to stop laughing. "I'm sorry man, but I just couldn't resist. I guess a little bit of Shawn rubbed off on me."

"Yeah. Yeah." Tristan grumbled. "Just make you move already."

At a nearby table, Suiren and Yzak were discussing important matters regarding the Minerva's pilots. "So Rey, Luna and Tristan are capable pilots but green, and won't cause any real problems. But both Shinn and Gekido on the other hand, are problem pilots." Yzak said, assessing what Suiren had told him.

"Pretty much. The two of them have anger management issues and they hate the other. But they're both skilled pilots." Suiren said, sipping a glass of water. "Gekido may be a Green Coat, but it is not because of ability. He's as good as any rookie Red Coat but this temperament leaves something to be desired. Shinn, well he was assigned the Impulse for a reason. He's skilled, probably the best out of all five of them. He even managed to take down that big mobile armor by himself. But…" Suiren paused. "I think he might be a berserker. Either way, I'm starting to doubt his self-control."

Yzak rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Why the hell did they have to reassign me?" he asked to no one in particular. "Breaking up a team that's been together for over a year to send me to a ship filled with inexperienced pilots with big egos and personality distorters. Present company excluded."

Suiren shrugged. "Maybe because they felt that the Minerva's team needed a more experienced commander." she replied. "You're an ace from the last war, and a Hero of Jachin Due. I may have been apart of ZAFT during the final months of the war, but I only saw a few small skirmishes on Earth."

"A Hero of Jachin Due… Hmph. I didn't do anything heroic at Jachin Due." Yzak bitterly stated. "Most of my first team was wiped out at Jachin Due. The Hawke sisters can attest to that."

"I am sorry. But at the same time, I am right. You and your comrades are far more experienced than I and everyone else aboard the Minerva." Suiren said. "Given that we're in a state of war, it's only natural that they would assign a veteran commander to the newest warship of the fleet."

Still doesn't mean I like it." the scarred Commander said. "My team was made of skilled, competent pilots that I knew I could count on and that they had my back. That kind of trust is born from fighting alongside each other."

"I know that and I know that it won't be easy for you, but it's not like either of us have much choice." Suiren replied. "But I'm sure that you'll manage."

"Don't really have any choice." Yzak commented. "I'll whip those rookies into shape."

* * *

Allster Estate

Later That Night

John lifted his mug up, savoring the scent of his last cup of coffee for the day. Everyone else was already asleep and he would join them shortly, but he had a call to make first. He took a sip of his coffee and then set the mug down and turned his attention to the radio. He grabbed the headset and activated the radio, cycling to a certain frequency. "This is Black-01, calling Purple-03. Alpha Zeta Delta Alpha."

"_Omega Beta Alpha Gamma."_ Came the response.

John grinned. It was the correct coded reply. He had gotten through.

"_This is Diana."_

John smiled. "It's good to here from you, my former student."

"_Sir."_

"At ease, Diana. I can hear you saluting all the way from Orb." John replied with a chuckle. "We're going through with it. The Winter Contingency has been initiated. As we speak, both the Factory and the Enclave are being activated and prepped for production."

"_Already? I would have thought Miss Clyne would have waited awhile longer to see how things play out first."_

"She wanted to, but then she saw the fake Lacus that Chairman Durandal has. Needless to say, we wished to be prepared for whatever he or the Alliance is planning. Therefore, the Factory and the Enclave are being activated. Both facilities will be working on the GEL Project together while the Factory will be working on the DOM and Trinity Projects, and the Enclave will be working on the Four Horsemen and the Knights Projects."

"_That's a lot of projects for them to be working on."_

"Not really. Both the Four Horsemen and Knights are just refits on preexisting machines. It's the other projects that are the…"

Suddenly, he could hear Haro upstairs. "We got a problem! Haro! Yes we do!"

It could only mean one thing. "Damn!" he swore.

"_Sir?"_

"Can't talk now. Intruders." he said, tearing off his headset and rushing upstairs. Haro was rolling around on the second floor, still squawking and making noise. But he ignored it, heading for the third floor of the mansion. He quickly reached a bedroom door and opened it.

"Wake up! We got uninvited guests arriving." John said as rushed towards a locked cabinet. He inserted the key into the lock and unlocked the cabinet as a groggy Shani, Clotho and Orga got up, revealing a number of firearms and ammunition. John pulled out a pair of pistols and several clips while the trio armed themselves with shotguns.

"Damn bastards." Orga growled, pumping his shotgun. "Waking me up in the middle of the night. Well, if they want to play, I'll play."

"Go. Protect Lacus and the children." John ordered.

The trio nodded, acknowledging his order and headed towards the stairs. While they had been rehabilitated, it really only meant that they were no longer dependant on the drugs that they been addicted to and the damage done to their systems had been repaired. However, there was nothing that could be done for the alterations that had been made to their bodies. In some ways, it was a bad thing, in other ways, it was a good thing.

While they didn't listen well to the orders of others, save for himself and Lacus, but they were very, very good at fighting and they were quite protective of Lacus. Personally, he pitied anyone that tried to attack them or Lacus in their presence.

At that moment, Flay entered the room. She had changed out the nightgown she had been sleeping in and was wearing a pants and a shirt. John passed her a pistol and some clips. Flay took them and left without saying a word, heading for Alexander's room.

And he pitied anyone that threatened her child.

* * *

"Alex. Alex honey, wake up." Flay said, gently shaking her sleeping son.

Alex opened his eyes, blinking a few times. "Mommy?"

"Yes honey. Bad men are coming and I need you to be brave." Flay calmly said, hiding her own fear. "Can you do that for me?"

Alex nodded and Flay picked the small child up. Truthfully, Flay was terrified. She didn't know who was coming or how many, or even what they were coming for. Gunshots echoed through the mansion. Alex whimpered. Flay held him close. "Shh… You need to be quiet, Alex. I know it's scary, but I'll protect you."

Alex wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face in her chest. Flay headed towards the stairs, down to where everyone else was as more gunshots echoed through the house.

* * *

In the kitchen, Andy and John had come face to face with the intruders. An armed special forces team. Andy knocked over a table and ducked behind it while John ducked behind the kitchen counter as the men fired on them. The two ex-ZAFT officers fired back. They couldn't hope to match the firepower of the assassins, but then they weren't trying to kill them. They were trying to slow down the men so that the others could get into the shelter.

* * *

Murrue slowly stuck her head around a corner, checking the hallway. It was clear. Murrue moved into the hallway, aiming her handgun down the corridor while she gestured at Kira and the others to continue on. Kira started to lead Lacus, his mother, Reverend Malchio and the children down the hall had been traveling through when several gunshots tore through the air. The shots were close, in a nearby room in fact. The shooting stopped and a door down the hall that Murrue was guarding slowly opened. Murrue instantly aimed at the door. Clotho rolled out, his shotgun trained on her. Both lowered their weapons. Clotho turned to the doorway. "It's clear."

Orga and Shani stepped into the hallway. "Come on. We're heading to the shelter." Murrue said.

The trio joined them and the group headed towards the shelter. "Have any of you seen any sign of Flay and Alex?" Kira asked.

"Nah." Orga replied. "Just the jackasses that have been shooting as us."

"Language Orga." Lacus chided. "There are children present."

The green haired young man bowed his head. "Sorry."

* * *

The gunfight in the kitchen was still raging. John and Andy had managed to take down three of the assassins but there was still over half a dozen still fighting. A barrage of bullets tore through the edge of the overturned table Andy was hiding behind, narrowly missing him as someone the assassins crept closer to their two enemies. "We need to fallback!" Andy shouted over the gunfire.

"You go first! I'll cover you!" John yelled back.

John rose up, firing both of pistols together. Several assassins managed to duck behind cover, but one wasn't fast enough and took a bullet in the eye. As John fired, Andy moved back from the table, running into an open doorway. However, as he stepped into the hallway, a man with a knife jumped him. Andy's gun went flying as the knife stabbed into his left arm. For a moment, the two grappled, trying to overpower the other until Waltfeld slammed his foot into the soldier's chest, knocking him back. The soldier hit the wall and drew his pistol, but he wasn't fast enough.

_BAM! BAM!_

The assassin fell to the ground. Andy reached down, grabbing the knife still embedded in the outer cover of his arm. Andy put it back on over the concealed shotgun of his prosthetic arm and pulled the knife out as John entered the hall.

"You alright?" John asked.

Andy nodded. "Yeah."

"_The target is on the move, heading for Area E along with a group of children." _A voice said. Both men turned to the dead body. His earpiece had fallen out of his ear. They were hearing their comm chatter._ " She isn't armed and is being guarded by four people. Move in and eliminate the target."_

The two men glanced at each other and then started running towards the shelter.

* * *

Flay opened the door, slowly stepping into the hall, Alex still in her arms. They were almost at the shelter. Just a short run down the hall and they'd be there.

Unnoticed by her, a door slowly opened behind her. A soldier crept out, his gun trained on her. He squeezed the trigger…

But the gun jammed. Flay instantly spun around, firing off a trio of rounds. Two hit the bodyarmor he was wearing over his chest while the third hit his jaw. The man fell to the ground. Flay stared wide-eyed at the man's body, taking deep breaths, Alex's tears dripping down her neck. They had been so very lucky that the man's gun jammed. If it hadn't…

"Thank you Chris." Flay whispered before turning towards the shelter doors.

A moment later, she reached the wall concealing the shelter. Flay set her son down. She then opened a hidden panel on the adjacent wall, revealing a single button. Flay pushed it and the wall slid to left, revealing the shelter door. Flay started to type in the door code when she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. She stopped and spun around, training her handgun on the hall.

It was Kira, Lacus and the rest of their group. Flay lowered her gun. "Thank god it's you." she said.

"Are you two alright?" Kira asked.

Flay nodded. "We're fine."

She then turned back to the door panel and finished typing in the code as Murrue, Shani, Clotho and Orga took up defensive positions behind the group. The heavy doors slid open. "Come on." Lacus said, herding the children into the shelter with Malchio and Caridad.

Unknown to anyone, one of the assassins had climbed into the vents and was now in position to shoot Lacus. But Kira, feeling that something wasn't right, glanced up at the vent and saw the barrel of the rifle. As the man squeezed the trigger, he dove, pulling Lacus out of the line of fire, saving her.

Shani turned, and seeing what had happened, roared, grabbing the barrel of the gun and pulling so hard that gun flew from the man's hand and slammed into the vent cover, tearing it off. The man swore as Shani pulled him out of the vent and began to beat him.

"Stop! We'll take him alive!" John called out as he and Andy arrived. "I have some questions for him"

Shani growled, but relented. John took the man's remaining weapons, a knife and a sidearm, and then dragged the man into the shelter with the rest of them.

Once everyone was in, they sealed the shelter. "Everyone alright?" Andy asked, surveying the group.

"Yeah. We're fine." Kira answered. He paused for a moment and added, "Those guys are Coordinators."

"Yeah. And they're not amateurs either." Andy grimly said. "They're ZAFT special forces."

"You mean they're ZAFT?" a stunned Flay asked.

"Yeah." John replied, eyes and a handgun trained on their prisoner. "And I think they're after Lacus."

Kira glanced at Lacus with concern as she comforted the scared children. "But why?"

"Don't know. Maybe because of that fake Lacus." John said. "But this guy will tell us."

* * *

"Damn! We screwed up!" the special forces leader said, slamming his fist in frustration against the sealed door. He turned to his team. "We have no choice now. We'll get the ASHs and finish this off. Lacus Clyne must die tonight, no matter the cost."

Ten minutes later, they had returned to their ASHs and powered up the amphibious mobile suits. The ASHs advanced toward the mansion, firing their missiles and beam cannons at the residence.

* * *

The shelter shook from the barrages, forcing them into the deepest section of the shelter. "Damn." John swore. "They are persistent."

"Mobile suits?" Murrue asked.

"Probably." Andy replied. "This shelter may be strong, but not even it will withstand a prolonged assault." He turned to Lacus. "Do you have the keys Lacus?"

Lacus hesitated, tightly holding Haro in one hand. "It can't be helped. We need to open the door." Andy added.

But Lacus continued to hesitate. Kira reached out and held her free hand. "It's alright Lacus. I want to do this." he said, reassuring her. "You gave me my sword to fight for what I believe in and to protect those I love."

"Kira…"

Kira pulled her close. "Please Lacus, give me the keys."

Lacus nodded, opening Haro's mouth, revealing two keys. One silver, one gold. Waltfeld took the gold one while Kira grabbed the silver one. They inserted the keys into the twin consoles at the sides of the great doors across from the shelter entrance. "On three." Andy said. "One…Two…Three."

They simultaneously turned the keys. The doors opened and the lights inside the chamber turned on. Inside was the rebuilt ZGMF-X10A Freedom.

Without saying anything, Kira stepped into the hanger, the doors closing behind him as everyone watched on.

* * *

The ASHs' fire tore through the outer layer of the shelter. They were getting closer to their target. In a few more minutes, they would have her.

Suddenly, there was an explosion a short distance away. A mobile suit flew up into the air.

"What is that?"

"I don't know."

"Wait! Is that the-"

"It's the Freedom!"

A purple seed spun and burst inside Kira's mind. He flew down, slicing off the limbs of several ASHs before taking back off into the air. The remaining ASHs fired back. Kira evaded the shots and spun around, switching the Freedom into HiMAT mode and fire. Beams tore through the limbs of many of the ASHs, severing arms and legs of all but three ASHs. Kira then swooped down again, slicing through the arms of two of the remaining ASHs, literally disarming them.

All that remained was the leader of the group. Kira lunged at him. The leader jumped back, dodging the saber before he struck back, slashing at him with his beam claw. Kira ducked under the claw and thrust his shield into the ASH's torso and then flipped the ASH over his shoulder. The mobile suit landed on its head and shoulder. The squad leader righted himself and aimed his right claw at the Freedom. But before fire, Kira shot the limb off. The leader brought up his other claw and lost before he could fully bring it up. The ASH hunched down, aiming its missiles at the Freedom, only to lose them as well. Before he could react, Kira shot off one leg, followed by the other. The limbless mobile suit fell to the ground. The entire team had been defeated.

Nearby, Andy, John and Murrue were leading everyone out of the damaged shelter and house, heading for safety.

But the assassins were not about to be taken alive. Each member activated their ASH's self-destruct. One by one, the aquatic mobile suits exploded as Kira and everyone else watched on.

"Looks like he's still got it." John commented.

"Yeah. He's something else alright." Andy replied.

Suddenly, their captive bit his teeth together, hard. There was a distinct sound of something cracking. John swore as he picked the man up and tried to force the man's mouth open. "C'mon, you bastard! Open your mouth!"

But it was too late. The man stopped breathing and the life left his eyes. "Damn…" John grumbled, dropping the now dead man. "Suicide capsule. Whoever sent them, wanted no one to know who sent them."

"But is someone in the upper echelons of ZAFT." Andy said. "Whether it's Durandal, someone else on the Council or a member of ZAFT's admiralty, remains to be seen. I think that it's time for the Archangel to sail again."

* * *

Alright folks, as always, rewiew! It inspires me to update faster.


	16. Phase Fourteen: Flight to Tomorrow

Yo! After nearly a month of silence, I'm back! As to why I was gone…honestly, my writing muse went all over the place. I was working on older stories and story ideas I've had for awhile. But it's settled down now.

Before I start, I have a new poll up for those that are interested.

**Phase Fourteen: Flight to Tomorrow**

The morning sun was now shinning down on the wreckage of what had once been the Allster Estate. There was little left of the mansion. Even chunks of the cliff wall that the house had been built into had been torn off and were now lying next to the building wreckage. Flay watched from a fallen tree as the children wondered through a small part of the wreckage with Caridad carefully watching on. Alex was sleeping on her lap while Reverend Malchio was sitting next to her.

Kira and the others were currently in the hanger of the shelter, talking about what had happened.

"I've read about those mobile suits. They're called ASHs. But ZAFT has only just begun mass production of them." John said. "I wouldn't be too surprised if those ones were the first off the assembly line."

Andy nodded. "Those commandos were carefully. The gear they wore was a combination of ZAFT and Earth Alliance, or at least gear made to look like Alliance gear." he added. "Had they not used their mobile suits, it's unlikely that we would have been able to determine who they were. Of course this means that someone within ZAFT sent that commando team to kill Lacus."

"But why? Why did they want to kill me?" Lacus asked, deeply troubled by what had happened.

Kira placed an arm around her shoulders. "I think has to be because of that fake Lacus in the PLANTs." John replied. "Either that, or they're afraid that you could pose a major threat to them down the road."

"Then Durandal sent them?" asked Kira.

Andy scratched his chin, thinking about it. "He is the most obvious suspect. But he could be unaware that the Lacus in the PLANTs is a fake and is being used by someone else. We shouldn't rush to conclusions at the moment. At least not until we have more information."

"But at the very least, the PLANTs aren't safe for us anymore." John said.

Murrue turned to the two men and asked what everyone was thinking, "Then what do we do?"

John shrugged. "Don't know." He then turned to Lacus. "What do you think we should do, Lacus?"

But before she could answer, they heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. They all turned to the shelter doors. There was Flay, guiding Elizabeth Dante and Cagalli's long-time attendant, Mana over some debris and into the undamaged part of the shelter.

"It's good to see that everyone's alright." Liz said. "When we saw the wreckage, we feared the worst."

"Yeah, it was bad. But everyone's alright." Andy answered. "So what brings you two here?"

Mana pulled out an envelope. "This." she said, handing it to Kira. "Lady Cagalli asked me to deliver this to you."

Kira opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. It was written on the personal stationary of the Athha Family and it was in his sister's handwriting.

_Kira, I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you in person, but I am no longer free to move around as much anymore. As you already know by now, Orb will be joining the World Security Treaty Organization. At the moment, I'm staying at the Seiran House, preparing for my wedding with Yuna Roma Seiran. I know it's sudden, but given the way things are, it can't be helped. Right now, Orb needs strong leaders that the people can rely on. Orb's role in the new world is still uncertain. And even though Il have limited power, as Chief Representative, it's my duty to do everything I can to help my people. I will marry Yuna Roma Seiran._

Kira paused, noticing something else in the envelope. A small silver wedding ring. He stared at it for a moment before returning to the letter, noting the several small water drop stains on the next part of the letter.

_I've enclosed the ring that Athrun gave me…because I can't wear it anymore, and I didn't want them to take it from me. I thought about it…but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. I hate to ask this kind of favor from you, but when Athrun returns, could you return it to him please? I would have rather returned it to him in person…but I can't. Again, I'm sorry for asking this of you, but please return it to him for me._

_I'm doing this so that my nation's people can have happy and peaceful lives. And I promise that I will do my best._

_Cagalli_

Once Kira finished, he handed the letter to the others, holding the ring in his palm as Lacus placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It didn't take the others long to read the letter.

Liz ran a hand through her brown hair and sighed. "This bad. We can't let her do this."

"My sentiments exactly." a voice said, entering the shelter.

Everyone turned to the voice. It was Samuel. "I trust everyone else here feels the same way."

Everyone nodded. A smile spread across the old soldier's lips. "Good. The wedding is this afternoon. Now I've already begun making the preparations for this, but we still have a lot to do and not much time to do in."

* * *

Carpentaria

Once again, the Minerva was in dry dock, receiving repairs for the damage done in their last battle as well as being resupplied. "No! Not there! Put the Guuls into the spare Silhouette compartments!" Chief Abes yelled out, pointing out his subordinates' mistake. "It will be easier to launch them from the Silhouette catapult than from the normal catapults!"

"Roger Chief!" one of the techs called out before they corrected their error.

Nearby, a group of techs were moving several large containers to where the ZAKUs and GuAIZs were. Which was the wrong place for that container. "Those containers have parts for the ZAKU HMs only! Keep them near those machines!" the Chief shouted.

"Sorry Chief!"

Abes then turned his attention to a group of techs that were just standing around, unsure of what they should be doing. "Hey! Why haven't you guys started checking over the ZAKUs and GuAIZs yet! They need to be in perfect working order before leave!"

Above, on the upper catwalk, Yzak and Suiren watched the crews working below them. "I can't tell if he's really angry or happy." Suiren commented.

"He reminds me of the Chief from the Vesalius. He shouted and screamed all the time. You'd think that given that, he hated his job, but the truth was, he loved his job." Yzak replied, thinking back to different times. He then pulled back his shelve, looking at his watch. "Come on, it's time."

Suiren nodded and the two left the hanger, heading for the pilot's briefing room.

The remaining pilots of the Minerva were waiting inside. Shinn, Rey and Luna were sitting together in the front row while sitting behind them was Tristan and Gekido. Dearka, Nicol and Saul were standing by the wall in front of the seats. The second Yzak entered the room, the five sitting pilots shot up, standing at attention.

"At ease." Yzak said, heading for Dearka and the others. "Alright. Listen up. I've reviewed you battle records and spoken with your previous commanding officer and as far as I'm concerned, you are all Greens." Needless to say, the three Red Coats were surprised by his announcement. "I don't care what color your coat is, as of now, they are all same color, Green. Don't like it? Too bad. I am in charge here now. Suiren and Dearka are under me, followed by Nicol, followed by Saul, followed by the five of you."

Saul blinked. "Hey! Shouldn't Nicol and I be at the same level?" he asked.

But Yzak ignored him and continued. "What we say goes. If any of us give you an order, the only thing I expect to hear from you is 'Yes sir.' And that goes double for you two, Asuka, Jaeger. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." the five ZAFT pilots replied.

Yzak nodded. "Good. Now I know that the recent victory has brightened your mood, but don't let it go to your heads. Considering the outcomes of your previous battles, you have little to be proud about."

"I don't think that we've been that bad, sir." Luna said."

Yzak raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Really? Have you really stopped and looked at your record?" he asked. "Let's just stop and take a look. Armory One; failed to stop the thief of the Specter, Gaia, Abyss and Chaos. The battle in the Debris Belt; lost two pilots and nearly lost the ship while failing to destroy the enemy ship and mobile suits. Then Junius Seven; a success, but do more in part to other pilots rather than yourselves." The five ZAFT pilots cringed or scowled as Yzak listed the outcomes of their past battles.

"As I recall, our early record in the last war, wasn't all that much better." Saul whispered to Nicol.

Nicol gave a slight nod in agreement and replied, "Well, they don't need to know that."

Shinn took a step forward. "But there were-"

"Extenuating circumstances? It's rare for anyone to find themselves fighting the 'ideal' battle." Yzak coldly stated. "So never, _ever_, expect any battle to have ideal conditions. As soldiers, it's our duty to over come any and all problems we face in the field. I don't care what color you coat is or what you pilot, until you can prove to me that you can do that, you're all a bunch of rookies."

"But I already have!" Shinn argued. "I took down that huge mobile armor yesterday when no one else could. And I even sent the Alliance fleet packing!"

"I've seen the recordings. That was just you rushing into things like a battle-hungry lunatic with no regard for yourself or your teammates." Yzak replied. "That's not a true pilot. A true pilot would keep his focus in combat and work with his teammates to take down the enemy. Frankly, I wonder why someone like you was assigned the Impulse. It's clearly not being used to its full potential."

Shinn opened his mouth to say something but Yzak cut him off. "And before you say anything, I know what I'm talking about. In the last war, I piloted a machine just like the Impulse, and I fought alongside as well as against other mobile suits like the Impulse. All of them were piloted by far better pilots than you. All you are is just a rookie whose skill doesn't match his ego."

"Hey! That's-"

"The truth. If you truly don't realize it, than allow me to show you."

* * *

Yzak's ZAKU Duel and Shinn's Impulse, equipped with the Sword Silhouette, stood face to face, waiting for the signal to begin.

"_Go!"_

Yzak fired his assault rifle as Shinn dove to left, pulling out the Impulse's own rifle. He fired back, but Yzak was already on the move before he squeezed the trigger. The ZAFT commander raced around, constantly and randomly changing his direction, preventing Shinn from acquiring a solid target. But still Shinn fired, hoping to get lucky. "It takes more than luck to win a battle!" Yzak yelled out, firing his rifle as he moved.

A single beam pierced Shinn's beam rifle. The black haired pilot quickly threw the damaged rifle away just before it exploded. Shinn growled as he drew his swords. "I'm done yet!"

"Bring it, Greenie." Yzak replied, discarding his rifle and pulling out his Falx beam axe.

Shinn lunged at the ZAKU, roaring as he swung his right sword down. Yzak jumped back, evading the first before blocking the second blade with his axe. They stayed there for a moment, their weapons locked. "You're far too predictable." Yzak commented. "You movements are like an open book to any experienced pilot. Remember what I said, keep your focus. That temper will only get you killed like a mad dog, Greenie."

"Shut up!" Shinn angrily yelled back

Shinn thrust his free sword forward, intending to impale the ZAKU, but Yzak pulled his ZAKU to his right and the sword hit nothing but air. Before Shinn could react, Yzak kicked the Impulse, breaking their lock and sending the red and white mobile suit stumbling back.

"See. Too predictable." Yzak said, twirling his beam axe. "Don't just react! Think! Then act!"

Shinn managed to regain his balance and then combined his sword together, but he didn't attack. Instead, he waited for Yzak to make the next move. A slight smirk crossed Yzak's face. "Good. Maybe there's some hope for you after all. But it's never wise to listen to an opponent's advice in the middle of a battle!"

The ZAKU raced forward, its axe over its head. Shinn raised his sword over the Impulse's right shoulder and swung as the mobile suit reached him. At the last second, Yzak sidestepped the blade, swinging his beam axe into the Impulse's right side. The beam edge of the axe bit into the waist of the Impulse. Electricity surged around the axe and the area it was embedded in as Yzak jumped back, leaving his weapon in place.

"No way…" Shinn uttered.

The Impulse exploded…

…And the simulator shut down.

"Unbelievable… A ZAKU took down the Impulse…" a stunned Luna managed to say. "I never thought that was possible…"

"Well Commander Joule was a part of the famed Le Creuset Team of the last war." Rey said. "It's only natural such an ace of his caliber would be more skilled and experienced than a greener pilot like Shinn. At least for now anyway."

Gekido chuckled. "Nice to see someone taking him down a peg."

"Yeah. Maybe his attitude will get that much needed adjustment." Tristan added.

Gekido and Tristan let a laugh as Shinn rose up from the seat of the simulator, ignoring the two.

"Nice job, Yzak." Dearka said, slapping Yzak on shoulder.

"It's good to see that your skills haven't dulled." Nicol added.

Saul shrugged. "It's not really all that impressive to see Yzak take down a rookie like him." he commented. "Now seeing him take down someone like Athrun would be impressive."

"Shinn's not _that_ bad." Suiren said, defending her fellow Red Coat. "He's just headstrong and still a bit inexperienced."

Yzak stepped out of the simulator seat just as Shinn reached him. The two stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Everyone watched on, waiting to see just what would happen. Shinn was the one to break the silence first. "You were right." he said with some difficulty.

Yzak gave him a slight nod. "Yes I was. But you have some skill and a bit of potential. You just need to learn to think ahead in battle and you'll be truly worthy of that coat." Yzak turned to the rookie pilots. "Now, who's next?"

* * *

Earth Alliance Spengler-class Carrier, the John Paul Jones

Somewhere in the Indian Ocean

Despite what others might think, the Extended needed to exercise to keep their bodies in shape just like everyone else. At the moment, Mariemaia, Rezin, Reccoa and Stella were sprinting on treadmills while Auel was on a bench press with Sting spotting for him as both Treize and Gyunei were attacking a pair of punching bags.

"This blows! Why the hell are we back on Earth when the PLANTs are still standing?!" Auel grunted as he lifted the heavy weights upward.

Treize glanced over at him, but didn't reply, instead, Reccoa did. "Simple, it's because we've been ordered to and because those morons failed to hold Gibraltar and Carpentaria. We can't just deal with the PLANTs while those Patchworkers are making a mess in our backyard. Besides, _that_ ship is here on Earth." she answered before taking a drink from her waterbottle.

"With any luck, we'll get another crack at it and its mobile suits." Treize added.

"Yay! I can dance with Mr. Whitey again!" Mariemaia cheered, music blaring from her headphones.

Treize drove one last, powerful fist into the punching bag and stopped. "No. I'm taking that one's head for myself."

"Aw… But Big Brother, he's such a good dance partner."

"He's mine." he said, his tone final. "Undoubtedly, ZAFT has given that machine to a more capable pilot. Someone that can take out a Zamza-Zah by themselves could be opponent worth fighting."

Treize raised his arm, preparing to punch the bag again. Upon his forearm was nine scars, a tally of those he killed that were worth remembering. Even if the doctors fiddled with his brain again, he would remember that he had fought and killed nine people worth remembering.

Perhaps that white mobile suit on the ZAFT warship would prove himself worthy of being number ten.

"Alright Big Brother, you can have him." Maia said dejectedly.

"All I care about is seeing that ship explode." Rezin commented, wiping some sweat from her brow. "They ruined my art last time, but the next time, they'll see my art."

Auel nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah! That ship's going down!"

"Of course they are." a voice said.

All of the Extended immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to the voice. A smile spread across Stella's face. "Neo."

Neo gave her a nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention to the group. "That ZAFT ship has been causing us nothing but grief. So the higher-ups have ordered us to deal with it before it can cause us anymore headaches." he explained. "That's why we're heading to the South Pacific. We're going to hunt her down and sink her."

* * *

Armory One

"_Commander Marlone. As you know, ZAFT's official policy regarding military actions regarding this conflict is to take defensive actions only. However, unofficially, we need to take some aggressive actions in this conflict. We can't just sit around and wait for the Alliance to move before we react. That is why I need you to assemble and lead a special team with the sole purpose of making covert attacks against the Alliance. Any personnel you want, excluding those that are like you, a part of FAITH, or currently serving aboard the Minerva, will be sent to you."_

"I work alone. Enough of my friends and comrades have died in battle." Commander Alexia Marlone replied to the screen, her voice a cold monotone.

Chairman Durandal shook his head. _"No. You will lead this team. Do not forget that while you may be outside of the military chain of command, you still answer to me."_

Her eyes narrowed, but Alexia gave no other outward expression. "Very well sir."

"_Good. Now, I'm assigning you a very special, brand new warship, the Hecate, as well as a new mobile suit that should fit your talents perfectly. Officially, it, the ship and your team do not exist. Am I clear on that?"_

"Than where shall we resupply when the time comes?"

"_Ragnorak. Which is also where your ship and mobile suit are waiting." _Durandal answered. _"I've already made arrangements for you to be taken there."_

"And what if our own forces should spot us?"

"_As I said, officially, you do not exist. And it must remain that way. By any means necessary. Which is why I chose you for this assignment, Lady Death." _Durandal said, using her infamous nickname. _"I know you will not fail ZAFT."_

Alexia bowed her head. "Yes sir."

* * *

Orb Water

Several Hours Later

Sai stared out the ocean as the boat he was on sped towards one of the smaller islands of the Orb Union. The boat he was on was a small passenger ferry. Designed to hold two dozen people and their luggage, and get them to destination quickly. Which in this case, was an Orb military storage facility.

Truthfully, Sai was suppose to have been on an earlier boat, but had been delayed by traffic created by Cagalli's wedding procession and the crowds gathering to watch. Fortunately, he had managed to catch the last boat out. So things weren't too bad.

A short while later, the boat pulled into the small wooden dock of the island, where men and women clad in Orb uniforms were waiting. "The Archangel will be leaving shortly. Everyone, grab your stuff and follow us." one of the men said to the group as they began disembarking.

Sai hadn't brought much. Just a simple bag with some personal items. He wouldn't need much in the way of clothes or anything really. So he managed to get off the ferry fairly quickly, where he bumped into an old face.

"Kid!" Murdoch said, slapping Sai across the back, knocking his glasses down the bridge of his nose. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Mr. Murdoch." Sai replied, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Do you know how many have decided to come?"

"Everyone. Well…everyone expect for Miri. She's still out of the country."

Sai nodded as they walked with the group away from the docks. Miri had been traveling the world as a photo journalist for months now. Ever since she and Dearka broke up. The break up didn't surprise Sai that much. Long distance relationships never worked that well, but Dearka had refused to leave the PLANTs just as Miri had refused to leave Earth. They loved each, everyone could see that. So why they couldn't reach a decision whether they should be in the PLANTs or on Earth was beyond him. "So I guess we are really going through with this then." he commented.

"Figured that you would have had a better idea of what's happening than the rest of us."

"Hey, I'm just Alexander's godfather. To be honest, I haven't spoken to any of them in a couple of weeks." Sai said, as they stepped onto the waiting freight elevator.

Once everyone was on, the elevator doors closed and the lift started its descent into the lower levels, where the Archangel was.

The Enclave, as they had renamed this old facility, had been an old Orb military storage facility before Terminal took it over, expanding and upgrading the facility into its current state. The lower levels of the Enclave were still storage facilities, holding not just the Archangel, but the four surviving G-Units and restored Dominion as well. The upper sections were now R&D labs and small scale production facilities. Though the renovations that had been preformed on the facility had been done by the Orb Military's Engineering Corps, only a handful of people within the government and military, as well as Morgenroete, knew its true purpose.

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened. "Alright everyone, the Archangel is in Hanger 1-A." Murdoch called out, stepping out of the elevator and leading the group towards the ship.

Ten minutes later, Sai was rushing through the corridors of the Archangel, heading for the bridge as he finished putting on his uniform.

"_Attention, everyone." _Lacus's voice said over the intercom. _"We're starting the final preparations now. Please take your stations now, before we leave."_

Sai cursed and sped up. He should have left earlier. He should have known that traffic would have been bad.

He reached the elevator, gasping for breath. Sai was never much of an athlete. But at least he had made it. He pushed the button for the bridge and a moment later, he was back on the bridge of the Archangel after so long. "Sorry for being late." he said as he stepped back.

Murrue glanced over her should, a smile on her face. "Don't worry about it." she said. "You think you can handle your old station?"

"Yes ma'am." he replied, moving towards the fire control console.

Romero Pal gave him a nod before leaving his station for one of the empty ones in the CIC. "The ship has been secured." Andy reported as Kira stepped onto the bridge. "We're ready to flood the hanger."

"Well then, everyone ready to crash a wedding?" Samuel asked from his seat in CIC.

"Yes. Let's go." Kira said.

Gallons of water began pouring into the hanger. After a little over five minutes, the entire hanger was filled and the hanger doors opened as the arms holding the Archangel retracted. "Engines at twenty percent. Ahead, slow." Murrue ordered.

Arnold nodded, powering up the Archangel's engines. The mighty warship slowly moved out of the underwater hanger.

* * *

Morgenroete Headquarters

A van pulled up to a hanger and six men and women climbed out, heading into the hanger where a woman greeted them. "Commander Alaric." Erica Simmons said with a nod.

"Chief Simmons." John replied, taking a look at the six mobile suits lining the hanger walls. "I trust everything has been prepared."

"Yes. The mobile suits have been prepared for your departure." the Morgenroete chief answered.

John turned to his fellow pilots. "You heard her. Let's get going."

They entered the hanger. The Calamity, the Raider, the Forbidden, the Strike Raven, Orb's newest prototype, the Guardian were lined up against the walls of the hanger. "General Dante said that he's taken care of things. A last minute test flight for these six machines has been arranged. So no one will think that we're doing something we shouldn't." Erica explained as the pilots climbed into their mobile suits.

"Well that's good to hear." Liz replied before she entered the Guardian.

The MBF-M250 Guardian was a prototype based off the captured GAT-X252 Forbidden and was the prototype for Orb's upcoming aquatic mobile suit line. Combined with the Astray and Murasame lines, Orb would be protected from land, air and sea.

A minute later, the six machines powered up as their docking clamps released. The Calamity and the Raider were the first to move, stepping out of their holdings, towards the open hanger doors. The Forbidden and the Strike Raven followed, with the Farsight and the Guardian taking up the rear. "Everyone got the rendezvous coordinates?" John asked as they filed out.

"Yeah, yeah." Orga grunted. "We know where we're going."

"Alright, just asking."

The mobile suits moved through the Morgenroete Facility, heading for the docks. Once they reached the docks, both the Forbidden and the Guardian dived into the water while the Raider transformed, allowing the Calamity to jump on its back and the two took off together with the Farsight and Strike Raven close behind.

"You know Flay, you don't have to do this. It's still not too late for you to go back." John said to her over a private channel.

"I know. I don't have to be here. I could easily stay behind and help Malchio with children." Flay replied. "But the truth is I want to be here. In the last war, I was always so helpless. I couldn't do anything. And when I finally did something, it brought about so much destruction…" Flay paused for a moment, images of nuclear warheads destroying Boaz and nearly destroying the PLANTs briefly filled her mind. "But now…now I can do something to help out. I'm not going to sit by on the sidelines anymore."

John nodded. "Alright then."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the coordinates, and just ahead of them, the Archangel rose out from beneath the waves. "There she is. Now all we have to do is wait for Kira to get Cagalli."

* * *

The wedding between Cagalli Yula Athha and Yuna Roma Seiran was a grand affair. It was not an understatement to say that all of Orb was watching the ceremony. But that was to be expected. The Lioness of Orb was getting married. The people wanted a large, public ceremony. Everyone there was happy at this most joyous of events.

Save for one person…

To Cagalli, this was no joyous event. It was the lock that secured the chains that been coiling around her for some time. …But it was for her people. To ensure peace and happiness for them. If that meant a life in chains, so be it. She had no regrets and was prepared for that life.

No… She had one regret. Athrun. She had left him for Yuna. She left the man she loved for a man she didn't, without even telling him. Cagalli hoped that Athrun would understand and forgive her for what she had to do for her people.

"Now, if anyone has good reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." the priest said, bringing Cagalli out of her thoughts.

It was at that moment that people began to scream. Everyone looked up into the air as the Freedom appeared. People started to panic, running from the area. The Astrays that had been stationed at the ceremony as an honor guard started firing. But the well-aimed shots of the Freedom crippled the mobile suits, stopping it from turning into a battle. The white mobile suit then landed before the temple the ceremony was being held at. Yuna showed his courage…by hiding behind Cagalli, whimpering like a little girl. The Freedom's hands reached out for Cagalli. Yuna shrieked and ran while Cagalli yelled at Kira as the mechanical fingers carefully picked up the Princess of Orb. Kira pulled her up into the Freedom's cockpit hatch, bringing her into cockpit.

"Wow…That's a nice dress." Kira commented.

Needless to say, Cagalli was less than pleased by all this. "Shut it!"

The Freedom took off, heading back to Archangel.

* * *

Orb Military Headquarters

"Sir! We've just received word. The Freedom has just abducted Lady Cagalli. The Prime Minster is demanding that we send out our forces to intercept the Freedom." an Orb comm. officer reported.

"Really now. Are you sure? It sounded like that message was heavily grabbled. It sounds like our communication systems are suffering from some kind of _malfunction_." the captain said nonchalantly. "In fact, I think it will be a few _hours_ before our communication systems will be properly restored."

The officer stared at his superior for moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Yes sir. I have to agree with you. It will be a few hours before everything's up and running again."

The officer then glanced at the large display table, watching the single blip from the wedding heading towards the sea. "And we appear to be having problems with our radar as well. No matter." the captain said with a shrug. "I'm sure that nothing is happening right now anyway." He looked around at the rest of the room. "Did everyone get that?"

There was a chorus of 'yes sirs' throughout the room. The captain smiled and nodded. General Dante had indeed picked the right men and women to operate control room today.

* * *

Orb Aegis-Class Battleship, Kobayashi

Captain Todaka and his crew watched as the Freedom soared passed them, heading for the Archangel. They had been told moments earlier by General Samuel Dante himself that Lady Cagalli was aboard the Freedom and not to fire at it or the Archangel. Naturally, he bowed to the orders of a superior officer. If the Prime Minster didn't like that…well, honestly, he didn't care.

One of the Archangel's catapult doors opened up, allowing the Freedom to board the ship. Todaka saluted the ship and was quickly joined by many of the other, older officers, those that fought during the bloody Battle of Orb during the last war.

'_I'm counting on you, Archangel. Take good care of Lady Cagalli…and the future of our world.'_

Once the Freedom was safely on board, the Archangel descended into the depths. Heading out into the unknown…

* * *

And so the Archangel is off. I'm gonna reveal the Guardian's specs in later chapter, so you'll have to wait until then. But yes, it isn't like Maileesaeya's MS. And I brought Sai back. I never liked how he didn't return when Miri and every other AA crew member that had a name returned in Destiny.

As always, review!


	17. Phase Fifteen: Return to the Battlefield

I AM BACK!!! My muse for my Destiny story is back in full swing! Something that I thought wasn't going to happen for another month at least! I am so very happy. Now this chapter is a little on the short side, but considering I wrote it over the course of twenty-four hours (while fighting the Bioshock 2 urges) and that I decided not to break up the battle at the end over two chapters like I had originally planned, I think it's not bad.

I've decided that I'm going to focus solely on this story, at least until I get about halfway through and start revealing some of the big surprises and the deaths of some of the Extended. Needless to say, Treize is gonna go out in brutal battle, fitting of such a character.

**Phase Fifteen: Return to the Battlefield**

Nazca-Class Warship, the Jackson

Earth Orbit

"_You're cleared to take off sir,"_ the Jackson's combat coordinator said.

"Thank you," Athrun replied as the hanger doors began to open.

The Savior didn't have the power to reach Earth from the PLANTs by itself, so Chairman Durandal had arranged for Athrun to meet up a Nazca-class to meet up with him and carry him the bulk of the way to Earth.

"Athrun Zala. Savior landing," he said, activating the catapult, launching him into space.

The Savior's Phase Shift armor powered up and it transformed into its mobile armor form. Athrun dove towards the planet, preparing to enter the atmosphere. His destination was Carpentaria. Though he would have preferred to stop at Orb and speak with Cagalli first and explain what he was doing, he knew it would have been inappropriate for him to enter Orb in a ZAFT mobile suit, so he wasn't going to try.

The temperature in the cockpit rose from the friction of atmospheric entry as the mobile suit began to shudder. But it was certainly a lot smoother than the last time he entered the atmosphere. After a few minutes, the temperature dropped and the shaking subsided. Athrun double checked the Savior's nav computer, confirming the location of Carpentaria and took off for it. It would only be a short ten minute flight to the base and the Minerva.

As he flew towards Carpentaria, Athrun couldn't help but wonder what Kira and Cagalli were doing at the moment.

* * *

The Archangel

Cagalli looked around at everyone. She couldn't believe that they had done this. They had taken her in the middle of her _own_ wedding. "What is wrong with you people?! Do you have any idea how stupid that was?!" she exclaimed. "Kidnapping the head of a nation during her wedding makes you all international criminals! Are you all insane?! Who asked you to do that?!"

"Yeah, we know, but…" Andrew replied.

"But we had no other choice," Kira finished. "These are crazy times, Cagalli. And if you insist on doing stupid things too, then without a doubt, this world is heading for all kinds of trouble."

"What stupid things?!" Cagalli angrily demanded. "What have I done that is stupid?! I'm Orb's Chief Representative!" she shouted at them. "I have some many things to worry about and think about, and I have! That's why I've done what I've done!"

"So you've decided that it's a good idea to ally with the Atlantic Federation and marry Yuna Seiran? Is that really going to help Orb?" Kira asked.

"Of course I do! Why else would I marry him?!" Cagalli answered, but sound more and more unsure of herself. "It's as they've said, we can't afford to let Orb be attacked again! This is the choice I've made and I'm going to see it through!"

"And this is the choice we've made," Samuel replied. "But is this the choice you've wanted make or is it the choice you believe that you have to follow? And what about the other nations? Do you believe that it's okay for other nations to burn so long as Orb remains untouched?"

"And is it okay for Orb to one day end up burning the PLANTs or another nation so long as it is safe?" Kira added.

Cagalli's resolve was breaking, they could all see it. "No…But…"

"What about what your father said?"

"But I-"

"I understand that things were very hard for you. I'm sorry that I that I wasn't able to help you before," Kira said. "But I believe that there's still time for us to change things. We still don't know a lot about what's going on, but I do know that there's still time to set things right." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something, Athrun's ring, placing it in Cagalli's hand. "It happens to all of us. At one point or another, we all go down the wrong path and we never get to where we wanted to go. That's why I want you to join us."

Cagalli broke down, tears streaming down her face as she fell to her knees. Kira knelt down, putting an arm around her shoulder. "This time, I'm sure we'll find the right answer together."

* * *

The Minerva

Stationed at Carpentaria

"Full system check complete. Everything's in the green," Suiren reported from the cockpit of her ZAKU. The crews had finally finished the modifications to her ZAKU Phantom HM, but then considering all the repairs that they had to perform on the Minerva first, she wasn't complaining.

"We read green here as well!" a technician called out.

"Alright. Let's get this girl painted then," Suiren said, climbing out of the cockpit.

"_Attention. All hanger personnel prepare to receive incoming mobile suit."_

"What? What's going on here? I never received any word of another pilot joining us," Yzak said, just as surprised as everyone else.

The hanger doors opened and the red mobile suit entered, powering down its phase-shift. The machine stepped into the hanger and took one of the empty mobile suit slots. The pilot, clad in a purple ZAFT flightsuit and helmet, and a briefcase in his hand, climbed down the mobile suit as the Minerva's hanger crew and most of her pilots, gathered around the machine. Once the pilot reached the ground, he took a step forward, setting his case down before reaching for his helmet, pulling it off…

"I don't believe it…" Saul uttered.

"Well, this is a surprise," Dearka said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yes it is," Nicol added, a smile on his own face.

"Athrun Zala?!" a stunned Luna said.

"Identification Number 285002. Athrun Zala, FAITH Special Forces, requesting permission to come aboard," Athrun said.

But before Yzak, the ranking office present, could respond, someone else did. "You… What are you doing here?" Shinn asked as he made his way through the group, his collar undone and his hands full. "I thought you were with Orb? So why are you here?"

Luna elbowed him the stomach. "Shinn, please try to watch what you say," she hissed in a low tone. "He's a member of FAITH and our superior officer now."

Upon saying those words, Luna quickly saluted Athrun with everyone else following suit, save for two people, Shinn and Yzak. But Shinn, realizing that he wasn't saluting a superior officer, quickly looked around for some place to put his stuff. Not seeing anything, he settled for thrusting the bag and cup into Meyrin's hands and then tidied up his uniform before saluting as well. Yzak, on the other hand, just glared at Athrun, clearly displeased about something. Athrun returned the salute and a moment later, everyone put their hands down.

"Figures," Yzak grumbled. "The second you come back to ZAFT, you get promoted above me. Well, I don't give a damn if you're a member of FAITH now, I'm in charge here. So if you're going to serve on this ship, you take orders from me!"

Athrun couldn't help but chuckle, now remembering Yzak's words to him in the last war, when they parted as teammates.

"_Next time __I'll__ be the one in charge. Don't get killed until then. Okay?"_

"Fair enough Yzak," he replied. Truthfully, he was fine with Yzak in command. Yzak had far more experience in that field than he did. And the last time he commanded a team, it had been a disaster and it was only by pure luck that none of them had gotten killed. "I assume that the Captain is on the bridge."

Yzak nodded. "Yes. I'll-"

"I'll escort him sir!" Both Luna and Meyrin said together, cutting him off.

Yzak cleared his throat. "As I was saying, _I'll_ escort you to the Captain. Come on, let's go."

A short while later, the two were riding one of the elevators up to the crew's quarters where the Captain's Quarters were. Yzak glanced at Athrun, now wearing the uniform of a Red Coat, the FAITH emblem pinned to his breast. "So why did you decide to come back Athrun?"

"I couldn't just sit by and do nothing while all this was happening," Athrun replied. "You, Dearka, Nicol, Saul, you're all out here doing something to help end the war as quickly as possible. Everyone is, but I just can't seem to find what I should be doing."

Yzak nodded his head in understanding. "So you've decided to do something you know, fighting."

"Something like that. At least here, I can do something useful."

Yzak accepted Athrun's answer, but there was still something bothering him. "How did Cagalli take it?"

Athrun hesitated for a moment before he answered. "I haven't actually told her."

Yzak could feel a headache coming on. "What about Orb? You are aware that Orb has joined the Earth Alliance, right?"

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Athrun's face paled as his eyes widened. He was at a loss for words. "What? But Cagalli would never…"

"The treaty was to be signed today following the wedding of Chief Representative Athha and some noble. Yuan something," Yzak said, stepping out of the elevator.

Athrun felt his heart stop beating for a moment. He had known of the wedding arrangement for some time now and that Cagalli would have to inevitably marry Yuna, but a part of him had always hoped that she would find some way out of it. But now…

"That means that we might just end up fighting Orb down the road," Yzak continued as he started walking. "Are you prepared for that?"

Athrun didn't answer as he followed after him. He was too busy struggling to accept that Cagalli was getting married today and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I see. Then I was wrong, you shouldn't have come back," Yzak said, shaking his head.

"What? But you-"

"I was wrong. Taking up that uniform and fighting for ZAFT again, means that you must commit to ZAFT. You can't have doubts about those we'll likely be fighting."

Before Athrun could say anything, they reached their destination, the Captain's Quarters. Yzak knocked on the door. "Enter," came the reply.

The door opened and the two entered the room. Talia was at her desk, studying a pad her XO had given her, who standing a foot away from her desk. "What is it?" she asked, looking up at them. Needless to say, both officers were surprised by the sight of Athrun. "Athrun Zala? What are you doing here?"

Athrun snapped into a salute. "Identification Number 285002. Athrun Zala, FAITH Special Forces." Talia returned the salute and Athrun continued, "Chairman Durandal has reinstated me within the ZAFT Military as a part of FAITH and has asked me to serve aboard the Minerva. He also asked me to give you these."

Athrun set the briefcase he was carrying on the desk and opened it, handing her a file folder filled with papers and placing a small case on the desk. Talia carefully read the documents from Chairman Durandal several times over, studying them for some kind of hidden meaning. She set them down and reached for the small case, holding a FAITH badge. "He's assigned you to FAITH, given you one of our newest mobile suits, assigning you to us, and promoting me to FAITH as well," she commented. "I can't help but wonder what the Chairman is thinking…"

"I'm sorry to disappoint ma'am," Athrun answered. "But I'm not a hundred percent sure either."

"There's nothing for you to apologize for." Talia set down the case and picked up the papers again. "Are you aware of the details of these orders?"

"No ma'am."

"I see… It's rather interesting," she mused. "Once the ship is ready, we've been ordered to head for Gibraltar, to support the forces stationed there for an assault on Suez."

Athrun, Yzak and Arthur were all surprised by this. "We're supporting the forces stationed at Suez?" Arthur asked, confused and a little worried by their orders.

"That doesn't make sense. Suez is halfway around the world. There's no way we could make it there in time unless we crossed land, which, last time I checked, is enemy territory," Yzak said. "Which would be stupid for one ship to do. Does it say how he wants us to get there?"

"He wants us to go through Western Eurasia," Talia replied. "There are some regions there that wish to break away from the Eurasian Federation and take a neutral stance. The Chairman believes that if we travel through some of those areas, we'll be able to evade the Earth Forces. However, those regions are in the minority."

"Hmph…The Middle East. This is going to be messy," Yzak said, shaking his head. "So how big are these regions and what can we expect from them?"

"Not as much as we'd like. While the whole area in question has been the source of brutal oppression from the Eurasian Federation for decades, in last year and half, they've changed their policies regarding the region and have been in the process of reconciliation with the people there," Talia explained. "So Alliance popularity is on the rise while anti-Alliance sentiment is dropping, but despite that, there are many there that wish to be an independent nation. Nor have they forgotten the brutality of those that are now trying to win their loyalty."

"So what? The Chairman wants us to go there and what? Rally the spirit of the people there against the Alliance long enough for us to slip by, only for them to be beaten down by the Alliance afterwards?" Yzak let out a sigh. "Captain, I honestly think the rookies on aboard are ready for such a mission. They're talented, but still green. They don't have much experience with ground combat. And I don't like that a hot-head like Asuka is piloting the Impulse. That's only asking for trouble."

Athrun was a little surprised by Yzak's words. He remembered a time when Yzak would have been jumping at the chance to go on such a mission. Of course, he had been leading others into combat since Operation Spitbreak and had lost many of subordinates during Jachin Due. Obviously, it had changed him.

"I don't know," Talia admitted. "All we can do is follow our orders and see what happens."

* * *

"Ha ha! The old band's back together again," Saul said, slapping Athrun on the shoulder. Needless to say, all four veteran pilots were ecstatic to have their old team back together. Well, as whole as they could be considering that they lost Miguel and Rusty during the war. "And here I thought I was going to be stuck taking orders from Mister-No-Sense-Of-Humor."

A vein twitched on Yzak's forehead. "I'm still your commanding officer," he said, struggling to control his temper.

Saul wrapped an arm around Athrun's shoulder. "I don't know, doesn't this badge say that Athrun here outranks you?" Saul commented, pointing to the FAITH emblem. "Dearka, back me up on this."

"Oh no," Dearka said, waving his hands. "I'm not getting involved in this."

"Nicol."

"Er… Technically, yes," the green haired pilot warily answered.

"And Athrun, you've been assigned to this whale-shaped ship, right?"

Athrun blinked. "Whale-shaped?"

Saul pulled his arm back and shrugged. "Yeah. For whatever reason, the designers decided to model this ship after Evidence 01. So, have you been assigned or not?"

"Yes. But-"

"Therefore, we are once again the Zala Team."

"Well actually Saul, I agreed to let Yzak command the team despite my superior rank, because of his experience."

Saul looked like he had just been shot. "What...But I thought you were just saying that to stop Yzak from going nuts."

Athrun continued. "Therefore, you're still the-"

"Joule Team," Yzak finished, a rather smug smirk on his face.

Saul let out a loud, defeated sigh. "I hate that name…"

The other four pilots started laughing. It was good to be together again.

* * *

The Following Night

Flay was tossing and turning in her sleep, her body soaked with sweat. Suddenly, she shot up from her bed, waking from the horrible nightmare. Ever since the last war ended, she had suffered from terrible nightmares from time to time. Mostly of the things that had happened in the war, the people that had died and the horrors that had been unleashed. But at times, she experienced dark and disturbing ones that she found unable to describe, like the one she just had. Thankfully, she had her own room, so she didn't wake anyone up and likely would have forced her to explain why she had woken up. Something she didn't want to do. Flay rose from her bed. She doubted that she would be getting anymore sleep tonight.

A change of clothes, a cup of coffee and a short walk later, Flay found herself on the Archangel's bridge. Only Samuel and the crew members on the late night shift were there. Samuel, having heard the door open, glanced over his shoulder at her. "Nightmares?" he asked.

"Yeah," Flay admitted as she sat down in the empty seat next to the helmsman.

"The Jachin Due one?"

Flay shook her head. "No, but it was about as bad as that one."

"A nightmare is just a nightmare Flay. Born of our subconscious fears and doubts, they pass as we overcome such fears and doubts," Samuel commented.

"I've had nightmares before, but they were never as vided as they are now. It's like reliving all those bad moments all over again. And the first nightmare showed me something that hadn't happened yet. How do you explain that?"

"Did it happen in the dream as it did in real life?" Samuel asked.

"Well…no, not exactly," Flay answered.

"There you go. Your fears for Chris's safety created a nightmare for," Samuel said, trying to comfort her. "It's impossible for anyone to see the future."

Part of Flay wished to just agree with him, but deep down, she knew it was more than just a nightmare.

* * *

Spengler-Class Carrier, the John Paul Jones

Docked at the Earth Alliance Indian Ocean Base

"_You want me to launch all the Windams under my command?! Are you serious?!"_ Commander Mason shouted into the comm.

"I'm dead serious. We're going up against the Minerva. We'll need everything to defeat them," replied Neo, annoyed at the man questioning his orders. "Haven't you seen the data from the battle off the coast of Orb?"

"_That's not what I'm talking about! We were dispatched here to create a frontline base to battle against Carpentaria! And despite the fact that we're not even done and you want us to hand over all of our mobile suits?!"_ Mason argued.

"Your mission is to accomplish this base _and_ to defeat ZAFT. So quit screaming and prepare your mobile suits. Besides, I'm leaving the Gaia and the Verde Buster for your defense as well as to man the new MAAC gun."

"_But-"_

"That's an order, so do it." Neo cut the line, ending the conservation. They had detected the Minerva and a Vosgulov-class leaving Carpentaria earlier this morning, heading on a course that would bring them near the new base, providing them the perfect chance to ambush them. He turned to one of the bridge officers. "Status of the mobile suits?"

"They're all ready to launch."

"Alright. Don't move the Jones from its designated position," he ordered. Neo glanced over his shoulder at his subordinate. "I'll be leading the attack personally."

Treize, clad in an immaculate blue EA uniform, a pair of Lieutentant rank badges pinned to his collar, nodded. "As you wish sir."

* * *

The John Paul Jones's Hanger

"What?! Why do I have to stay behind with Stella?!" Rezin asked, annoyed being left behind. "The Verde Buster can fly, so why am I staying behind?"

"Simple, there's an experimental new mobile suit artillery gun at the base and you're the best person to use it," Reccoa explained. "We will send you the coordinates while you aim and fire the gun at the Minerva. You'll be the one to take that ship down."

Rezin perked up at those words. "Really?"

"Yes," Neo answered, stepping onto the catwalks with Treize, clad in his black and white flightsuit, at his side. "The MAAC is our secret weapon in this battle. Their sensors won't be able to track the shots or locate you and the gun as you fire on them."

Rezin grinned. "So I get to show them the new toy and send them to the bottom of the ocean."

"Yes."

Her grin widened. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

It had been a few hours since the Minerva and its Vosgulov-class escort, the Nyiragongo, had left Carpentaria and so far everything was proceeding smoothly. But even then, Talia couldn't help but feel uneasy. They were heading into enemy territory, alone once they reached land. If they were lucky, they'd only encounter a few small groups from outposts and smaller bases. If not…well, at least they would go down fighting.

"Ma'am! Incoming enemy contacts!" Burt shouted, drawing Talia from her thoughts.

"All hands, Level One Battestations," she ordered immediately. "How many?"

"Detecting…" Burt paused and gulped. "Thirty Windams, the Specter, Chaos and three of the other four units that were with them."

"…Thirty Windams?" her horrified XO gasped.

Talia didn't blame him. Although she didn't show it, she was deeply worried about the numbers too. Thirty-five mobile suits against eleven were terrible odds. Worse, considering who it was. "It's them," she said. "Inform the pilots and tell the Nyiragongo to keep an eye out for anything under the water."

Undoubtedly, the Abyss was heading for them underwater as well and Talia doubted that the Nyiragongo's GOOhNs would be enough to handle the newer machine.

* * *

Yzak swore in his cockpit as they got the report on the enemy strength. "This is going to be difficult fight. Everyone stick close to the Minerva. They'll be gunning for her without a doubt. Tristan, Gekido, you two stay on standby, just in case."

"Roger," Tristan said as Gekido just grunted.

Yzak's ZAKU was placed on the port catapult as the Savior was placed on the starboard catapult. "Good luck out there everyone," he added. "Yzak Joule, ZAKU Duel launcning."

"Athrun Zala, Savior taking off."

The catapults activated, launching the two mobile suits into the air. As they took off, the Minerva's central catapult opened, the Core Splendor preparing to take off. "Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor launching."

The small fighter took off, followed behind by the Impluse's Chest and Leg Flyers, and the Force Silhouette. A moment later, they combined, assembling the Force Impulse as the other ZAKU's began to launch.

Ahead of them and closing fast, was the large Earth Alliance force. Twenty-nine white and blue Windams, thirtieth purple one, the Specter, the Chaos, the Blu Duel, the Strike Noir, and the Rosso Aegis. Formidable force for them to be facing down on their own. Their only chance to win here was to take out the ship these machines came from.

* * *

Treize grinned as they neared the Minerva and its mobile suits. And with them, was that white combining one that had eluded him before. But not today. "Sir, permission to bring you the head of the mobile suit that has been giving us problems."

Neo nodded. "Granted. But don't-"

Whatever he was about to say was lost as Treize raced ahead of the group, seeking to battle the Impulse. "You're going down Coordinator," Treize said, drawing his beam revolvers and firing into the group. "One way or another, I'm leaving this battle with your head!"

* * *

Now, as I said, I'm saving the battle for the next chapter, due in part to fact that as I began charting out the rough version, it grew larger and larger, to the point that I feel that the final version will take up most of normal sized chapter. So I decided to hold it off for the next chapter and expand some of the other sections of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed.

As always, review!

Next Chapter: The Black Seed and the White Devil


	18. Phase 16: Black Seed & White Devil

Yo everybody! I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the response from the last chapter. Of course, some of that was people reviewing the note I posted despite the fact I said not to because you won't be able to review the chapter after it was posted. But at least it reached what I hoped it would, 250 reviews. Getting close to surpassing the number of reviews of my SEED story and I'm not even halfway done. Man, I cannot wait until I get to drop the bombshells in this story, just to see how you people will react.

ZAKU Phantom High-Maneuver Type Suiren Kyusai Custom "Fortuna":  
Model Number: ZGMF-1001SKC  
Overall Height: 19.05 meters  
Weight: 79.61 tons  
Power Plant: Ultracompact Energy Battery  
Special Model Features: Atmospheric Flight Thrusters, Lightwave Pulse Thrusters,  
Fixed Armament: 2x MMI-558 "Tempest" Beam Sword, stored inside shields, hand-carried in use; 4x beam saber, stored on hip armor, hand-carried in use; 2x Shoulder Shield, connected to arms, stores 2x power clip for beam assault rifle;  
Optional Hand Armament: MMI-M633 Beam Assault Rifle  
Pilot: Suiren Kyusai  
Color: Silver with black trimming, joints, hands, and shields

**Phase Sixteen: The Black Seed and the White Devil**

"Alright," Yzak said, surveying the approaching force as he gripped his rifle with both hands. "Watch each other's backs and stick close to the ship."

"We know, you said that already," an annoyed Shinn commented.

"Good. Then you'll remember that," Yzak replied. "Because they're going to try to swarm-"

Yzak's words were cut off as the Specter raced ahead of the other Alliance mobile suits, heading towards them, firing off its beam revolvers. The ZAFT pilots instinctively scattered, firing back. But the Specter gracefully evaded their shots as it continued to fire. A beam nicked Dearka's left thruster. The blond haired pilot swore as struggled to maintain altitude. Unfortunately, his machine couldn't stay up; fortunately he managed to land on the Minerva's wing.

"Dearka! Are you alright?" Yzak demanded, a faint undertone of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he answered. "But that guy is good."

"No argument there," Saul added as the remaining Alliance mobile suits reached them. "Of course things are about to get a whole lot tougher."

Shinn swore as the Specter closed in on him, holstering its right gun and drawing its sword. The dark mobile suit swung the blade at him which Shinn barely managed to avoid. "You've gotten better, but so have I!" Treize said, pressing his attack.

* * *

The CIWS guns of the Minerva opened up on the mobile suits, but all of the Alliance pilots were more than skilled enough to evade their bullets. "Alright, Windam pilots," Neo said. "Team up and come at them together."

The Minerva had acquired a number of new mobile suits, but the odds were still in their favor. Treize had already started fighting the white machine that new blue ZAKU Phantom had decided to pick a fight with Reccoa. But out of all the new ones, it was that red one that interested Neo the most. "Well Mister Red, let's see what you're made of," he said, firing off a few shots.

Talia watched as their mobile suits desperately battled the Earth Alliance machines. She glanced at one of the screens, displaying the face of Captain Philips. "Have you managed to pick up anything?" she asked.

"No. We haven't found any ships out there," the captain of their escort replied.

"Then they must have a base somewhere nearby," Talia commented.

"A base? This close to Carpentaria?" Philips asked, disbelieving the possibility. "We would have noticed it before."

"Perhaps. But had they come from a fleet, we would picked up the ships they came from by now. Either way, keep an eye out for anything."

* * *

The Magnetic Accelerated Artillery Cannon didn't look any different from any other two-handed, long range mobile suit cannon, save for its much longer barrel and a number of thick cables running from the butt of the cannon to its separate power source. But it was more than just a mere cannon. The MAAC gun as it was called was a railgun capable of launch projectiles at high-speeds at targets further away than conventional artillery pieces and beyond the sensor range of any warship. Meaning that they would never know just what was hitting them, unless they focused their sensors on the area they were coming from, but in the middle of a battle, that would be impossible.

"Let's see… Which one to try first?" Rezin pondered as she looked through the various ammo packs. Another excellent feature of this weapon was the variety of ammo types it could use. There were the traditional heavy slugs for railguns, explosive-tipped rounds, flak rounds for dealing with airborne threats, and some more _interesting_ types. "Oh… I've found the one." Rezin grabbed one of the ammo packs and loaded it into the MAAC gun. She then knelt down on one knee, bracing her machine. "I'm loaded up sir. Send me the coordinates."

Some distance behind her, the Gaia was pacing back and forth. Stella was both bored and worried about Neo. Why had he left her behind? So what if the Gaia could fly or swim? She wanted to be with him, protecting him from the bad guys.

"Quit pacing Stella. It's getting on my nerves," Rezin complained.

Stella stopped, glancing at her for a few seconds before resuming her wandering. Rezin rolled her eyes and shock her head. But before she could say anything, a set of coordinates came in, which Rezin quickly targeted. "Time to rain some fire."

* * *

Suddenly, a number of small explosions blossomed across the hull of the Minerva and the waters around the ship. "Evasive maneuvers! Arthur, why didn't we detect those missiles?" Talia demanded as the shaking warship calmed down.

"I don't know ma'am," her worried XO replied. "A number of the mobile suits have been hitting us with laser designators, but even then, we should have picked up a spread of long range missiles. But there was nothing, not even a thruster trail for us to track."

"_Minerva, this is Dearka. I caught that attack. You weren't hit by missiles. If I had to say, it was some kind of scattered artillery barrage."_

Talia bit her lower lip, holding back a few curses. They couldn't track an artillery shot, especially at an extreme range like this. Their only option was to evade and take out the mobile suits. Helm, keep performing evasive maneuvers!" she ordered. "If we can't track the shots, we'll just have avoid staying in the same spot for any-"

Another barrage hit. Fortunately, due to the fact they had begun performing evasive maneuvers, they had evaded the worse of it. But they couldn't be sure how long that would last.

* * *

"How was that?" Rezin asked, preparing to fire another shot.

"_Good work Rezin,"_ Neo answered. _"But they're starting to take more evasive maneuvers. Fire another barrage of those cluster shots."_

Rezin chuckled. "With pleasure, sir."

* * *

Suiren fired off her rifle, hitting a Windam's chest. Suddenly, she spun around, gunning down another that had tried to attack her from behind. Nearby, the Rosso Aegis, in its mobile armor form, chased after the ZAKU Surge, firing its Scylla II cannon at him. But Saul was too fast for him, even with its beam bending capabilities. "Ha! You'll have to try better than that!" Saul taunted as he danced around more beams.

"Raaaagh! I'll crush you!" the Extended roared.

But at that very moment, a Gleipnir rocket anchor and its cable wrapped around the Rosso Aegis's upper right limb. Nicol pulled as hard as his machine could manage, flipping the machine. "Nice one Nicol," Saul commented.

Gyunei transformed his machine back, roaring as he fired both his rifle and his Scylla cannon at them. "Whoa… This one's a violent one," Saul said as he ducked under a shot.

"Yeah. He's like those four from the last war," Nicol replied, evading a curving beam. "You think he's like them?"

"I wouldn't doubt the possibility. Better be extra careful just in case."

"Right."

* * *

"Ma'am! We've just received word from the Nyiragongo. They've detected the Abyss heading towards us," Burt called out. "They're launching their GOOhNs to intercept it."

Talia turned to Meyrin. "Tell Tristan and Gekido to equip themselves for underwater combat and join them underwater as soon as they're ready," she ordered. Unfortunately, the Abyss was at its best underwater. As good as Gekido and Tristan were, they were handicapped underwater, but it was better than nothing.

* * *

"C'mon! You heard the lady! Get those bazookas loaded!" Gekido yelled as he sat impatiently in his GuAIZ's cockpit.

"Calm down. The Nyiragongo has six GOOhNs. They'll be able to hold him off until we launch," Tristan said.

"Do you really they'll be able to handle that blue bastard?" Gekido asked.

"…No."

"_Alright, you're good to go,"_ Abes said, interrupting their conversation.

"Right," Tristan replied. "Open hanger doors. Meyrin, have the GOOhNs engaged the Aybss yet?"

"_Yes, just a moment ago,"_ Meyrin answered, pausing for a moment. _"The Abyss just took out two of them!"_

"C'mon!" Gekido shouted, ducking under the opening hatch.

"I'm coming," Tristan said, moving to catch up with his impatient teammate.

The two dove into the water, heading towards the aquatic battle. They could see the battle between the Abyss and the four remaining GOOhNs playing out. Unfortunately, the Abyss, in its mobile armor mode, fired its torpedoes, destroying a GOOhN just after they started heading for the battle. "That blue bastard is going down today," Gekido growled.

* * *

In the skies above the sea, Yzak squared off with the successor to his old and personal favorite, machine, the Blu Duel. It felt like a personal insult to be fighting a Duel. As far as he was concerned, _he_ was the Duel pilot. Anyone else was just a cheap imitation. The Blu Duel fired its beam guns and shoulder mounted railgun at him, but Yzak was quicker, throwing away his rifle and drew his Falx axe as he dove forward, under the shots. He swung his sword upwards, slicing through the barrels of the Blu Duel's guns. "Ha! The imitation is never as good as the original," Yzak gloated.

"Very well then," Reccoa emotionlessly replied, drawing her beam sabers. "By sword it is."

Yzak folded his axe and drew his own sabers. "Let's do this."

The two struck, their sabers clashing.

Elsewhere, Shinn narrowly avoided another of Treize's sword swings and tried to get some distance between himself and the Specter, but as soon as he started to move, Treize fired at him with his beam revolver. Shinn cursed as he found himself again trying to evade his shots. He just couldn't seem to do anything but avoid getting hit. And sooner or later, his luck would run out. He needed to get on the offensive.

Suddenly, a pair of Windams fired on him and Shinn scrambled to evade their shots. But it gave Treize an opening to exploit. The Extended lunged at the Impulse from behind, his Tempest sword coming down on its back…

But it was not meant to be.

The Savior, in its mobile armor mode, collided with the dark mobile suit, throwing it back. "Damn you, you red bastard!" Treize shouted, firing at Athrun.

Athrun flew up, dodging his shots as he transformed the Savior back. The Windams rushed up at him, firing their rifles. Athrun cut his thrusters, dropping the Savior suddenly and catching the two pilots off guard. The Savior fired and beams tore through the chests of the mobile suits.

Treize folded his sword, storing it back under his shield and drew his holstered beam revolver. One gun trained on the Savior and the other on the Impulse while they had their rifles trained on him. "I don't need anyone else. I can take you both out!"

* * *

"Take this tin can!" Auel yelled, driving his lance into the chest of the last GOOhN, just under its mono-eye. The aquatic mobile suit exploded.

"Dammit! Eat this bastard!" Gekido roared, firing off another round from his bazooka.

But the Abyss was too fast under the water, transforming back into its sub mode and evading his shot. "Ha ha ha…" Auel laughed as he came around an attack run on the two GuAIZs. "Those space mobile suits don't stand a chance against the Abyss in the water!"

Gekido growled and took aim at the Abyss. "Just try it punk!"

"Gekido! Calm down! If we're going to win here, you'll need to keep your head," Tristan chided as he moved next to his teammate, also aiming at the stolen mobile suit.

Auel fired off a spread of four torpedoes as the ZAFT pilots fired off their own rockets at him. But all three evaded the others' shots. Unfortunately, that was just what Auel wanted.

As Tristan sidestepped the torpedoes, his head turned, tracking the torpedoes. They were heading straight for the Nyiragongo! "Nyiragongo! Incoming! Evade!" he shouted, trying to warn them.

The submarine start to turn to port, seeking to evade the torpedoes, but it wasn't fast enough. All four hit their target. Explosions tore across the Nyiragongo's hull moments before the sub completely exploded.

Auel started laughing again. "Now to take care of you two!"

* * *

Mariemaia laughed as she fired shots from her rifles and railguns at the two Guul-mounted ZAKUs. Rey dove down while Luna soared upwards, both firing their Guul's missiles at Strike Noir. Maia responded by firing a frenzied barrage from her rifles as the missiles, gunning them all down before they could reach her. "Yes… Yes… More! I want to feel the beat of the music in my bones!"

Rey gritted his teeth together. These pilots were tough opponents, even tougher given their mobile suits. If they were going to take it down, they needed to be careful, and to have a good plan. "Luna, draw its attention for moment," he said, coming up with such a plan.

Luna took aim with her Orthros rifle and fired at the Strike Noir as Rey slipped away. Maia danced around Luna's beams while firing her own beams. "Come on Patchworker! Don't let the music slow down!" Maia said, growing annoyed.

Luna scowled, firing her shots faster, seeking speed and numbers over accuracy. But it worked, forcing Maia to focus more on dodging than shooting. "Yes! That's it! I love this-"

Suddenly, a grenade struck the Strike Noir. It exploded, consuming the mobile suit in smoke. Rey appeared, racing at the Strike Noir from behind with his beam tomahawks drawn. Rey roared as he swung his axes into the smoke, but they only passed through air and smoke.

Rey's eyes widened in surprise. "What?! Where-"

"Surprise!" Maia shouted, dropping down in the ZAKU with beam blades in its hands.

Rey only had time to do only one thing. He brought up his axes. Blades met, blocking each other for a second before the two mobile suits were pushed back. "Oh… Yes...yes…yes! Ha ha ha ha!" Maia cheered. "Such a glorious dance! Ha ha ha! I don't want it to ever end!"

At that moment, a massive eruption of water shot up from the sea. Everyone stopped for a moment, staring at water below them. "No... The Nyiragongo…" a horrified Luna uttered.

Yzak cursed as he resumed his battle with Reccoa. The loss of their escort was a big blow to their strength. If they couldn't turn things around soon, they'd have to withdraw to Carpentaria.

Dearka, still on top of the Minerva's wing, fired away at the approaching Windams, shooting down four and chasing the others off. Another artillery barrage struck. Most missed, but a few hit the Minerva. "Damn," Dearka swore as braced himself against the hull. "Yzak!"

"_What?!"_ Yzak replied, sounding more than a little busy.

"I don't think the ship's going to be able to handle much more of those artillery shots," Dearka told him. "We need to take out those guns."

"_In case you haven't noticed, we're all a little busy here!"_

"Hey! I'm just trying to keep you informed here!" Dearka shot back.

Yzak didn't respond for a moment. _"I know! But everyone's too busy to search for it."_

Neo watched the battle play out with a measure of satisfaction. They had lost almost half of their Windams, but they taken out the ZAFT sub and were wearing down the Minerva's forces. It wouldn't be long now.

"_Sir, I think we have a problem,"_ Rezin said over the comm.

"What? Is the MAAC gun malfunctioning?"

"_No. It's Stella. She's gone off somewhere."_

Neo shook his head. Likely, she was heading to the coastline, as close to the battle as she could manage. Worse, Treize was keeping that white mobile suit and the new red one busy near the coast. If she engaged them, it could draw those two onto the coast, near the new base. And if they managed to find it and pass it location onto Carpentaria, they'd mobilize a force to attack it before they finished the base. Neo knew he had to make sure that those two would be taken out as soon as possible, lest they discover the base.

He took off, heading to where the three were battling. Treize was holding his own extremely well against the two pilots. The pilot of the white one had gotten better since their last encounter, but that was little surprise as it had single-handedly taken out the Zamza-Zah, and the red one was clearly being piloted by a veteran pilot.

Neo fired off a few shots from his beam rifle at the two as Treize fired on them, causing them to scatter. "I'll take care of that red one, you finish off that white one," Neo ordered, chasing after the red mobile suit.

"Of course sir."

* * *

Stella stood on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. She loved the water, but now wasn't the time to admire the ocean. Neo was out there, fighting the bad guys and he needed her to help him. She knew it. But the question was, how was she going to get there to help him? The Gaia couldn't swim like the Abyss or fly like all the other mobile suits.

Suddenly, she saw that stubborn white mobile suit that always got in their way, being chased by Treize. It was going to pass close by her. Stella knew how she could help Neo. She'd get rid of that evil white one for Neo.

The Gaia transformed into its animal-like mobile armor mode, jumping into the shallow coastal waters. She started running towards the two. Once it was close enough, Stella leaped at the Impulse, tackling it into the water.

"Stella! What the hell are you doing?!" Treize demanded.

But at that moment, Savior appeared overhead, firing on the Specter from behind as Neo's Windam chased after it. Treize narrowly avoided being hit, be he was happy about it. "Damn you! You think you can get away with shooting at me?!" he yelled, firing at Athrun.

Below them, the Gaia and the Impulse square off with beam sabers. "I'm going to get rid of you once and for all!" Stella shouted, swinging her saber at the Impulse, pushing him towards the coastline.

Shinn pulled up his shield, blocking the attack and struck back with his own, which Stella blocked. "Shinn!" Athrun called out. "They lured you here to ambush you. We need to get of here and back to the Minerva."

"Shut up!" Shinn yelled back as he stepped onto dry land. Did Athrun really think that little of his skills that he believed that he couldn't handle this? Athrun was wrong. Shinn knew he could handle this. "I can handle this!"

But Athrun wasn't about to let him go off on his own and potentially get himself killed. "Shinn! I'm giving you-"

But he was cut off when the Specter and the purple Windam opened fire on him and he was forced to evade their attacks.

Below them, the Impulse and the Gaia fought, moving deeper and deeper into the island. Unknowingly drawing nearer and nearer to the Indian Ocean Base, triggering their alarms and forcing them to mobilize their tanks and arm their defensive batteries.

Shinn parried one of the Gaia strikes and was about to follow up with one of his own when something struck the Impulse, knocking him back. More shots followed, forcing both mobile suits apart. Shinn turned to his new attackers and was surprised. It tanks, turrets and a full, but incomplete, Earth Alliance base. But that wasn't all. That one missing mobile suit from the group that was leading this attack against the Minerva was there, firing some kind of cannon into the air.

"That must be the cannon that's hitting the Minerva," Shinn said to himself.

Shinn knew he had to take out that gun before it could anymore damage. He raced into the base, firing his CIWS guns at the tanks and turrets as he ran. Once he reached the Verde Buster, he lunged at the mobile suit. But Rezin caught him out of the corner of her eyes. On instinct, she spun around, raising her weapon up as a shield. Shinn's saber sliced through the barrel of the cannon.

"You bastard! I loved that gun!" Rezin screamed as she threw away the broken MAAC gun. "I'm gonna destroy you!"

Rezin drew her rifles and fired. Shinn jumped back, switching to his rifle as the Gaia and the other forces of the base began to converge on him. He knew he had to get out of there and fast. Shinn took off, heading to leave the base, firing at tanks and turrets he came across. Shots were going off all over the place, hitting buildings and warehouses, causing explosions.

That's when Shinn noticed them, a large group of civilian workers that had been hired to build the base trapped between the base's outer wall and the battle that was going on. A group of Alliance soldiers were desperately trying to cut open the chain-link fence for them. But with only one set of wirecutters, it was moving agonizingly slow. Nor were they the only ones there, on the other side of the fence, a growing group of civilians screaming and pleading for the soldiers to hurry.

Shinn knew what he had to do. He approached the group and the fence, careful to avoid stepping on anyone. The Impulse reached out and grabbed the fence, crushing it like a soda can, and with one good tug, Shinn tore out a large section of fence, allowing the civilians to escape.

"Eat this Patchworker!" Rezin screamed, firing every weapon the Verde Buster had.

Instinctively, Shinn dove to his right, dodging the attack. Unfortunately, the beams, projectiles and missiles continued on, hitting into the heart of the fleeing civilians. Shinn cried out in horror as fire consumed many of the people there. Flashes of the Battle of Orb and his own family's death played in his mind. "Why…Why…WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!!" he screamed at the Verde Buster as the Gaia appeared at its side.

"Hey! You were the one that came over here and you were the one who dodged a shot clearly intended for you!" Rezin shot back. "If you hadn't, that wouldn't have happened! You're the one to blame Patchworker!"

Shinn roared in anger at the Extended, a red seed shattering in his mind as he opened fire on the Gaia and the Verde Buster. They sidestepped his shots and fired back, but Shinn was faster, avoiding their attacks as he counterattacked, throwing his shield at the Gaia. The shield crashed into the black mobile suit, sending Stella to the ground.

"Bastard!" Rezin cursed as she continued to fire at the Impulse.

But Shinn didn't let up. He charged the heavy-weapons mobile suit, sidestepping and dodging her shots as he holstered his rifle and drew his beam sabers. Then he was upon her, striking with all his fury at her. Rezin barely managed to jump back in time, narrowly evading being sliced apart, unfortunately, her rifles were so lucky. Shinn's blades sliced through their barrels, destroying them.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Rezin screamed, throwing away her ruined rifles. "Why won't you just DIE already?!"

Shinn's only response was to lunge forward, intending to finish her off. Suddenly, a barrage of beams struck the ground between the two mobile suits, halting Shinn instantly. Overhead, the Specter hovered, its beam revolvers aimed at the Impulse. "He won't die because he's mine to kill," Trize said. "Withdraw. I'll finish this one off."

Rezin started to protest. "But-"

"I said, _withdraw_. Do I make myself clear?"

Neither Rezin or Stella said anything as they withdrew. Treize turned to Shinn. "Come Patchworker. Come at me with all your fury and power, and I shall strike you down like the mongrel dog you are!"

Shinn roared, flying upwards at Specter. He swung his sabers wildly, trying to slice the dark machine apart. But Treize barely managed to sidestepped each swing and after dodging the seventh, delivered a roundhouse kick to the Impulse's back, sending it crashing into the ground.

"Impressive. Perhaps you've actually improved, Coordinator." Treize laughed as he landed, twirling his revolvers before holstering them. "I wonder...Will you be worthy enough to be the tenth or will be just another one better left forgotten?" In the back of the Extended's mind, a black seed shattered as he continued to laugh.

Shinn paused, feeling a sense of dread creeping up his spine…

Suiren fired off a burst from assault rifle, downing a Windam when she felt something in the back of her mind. It was like someone had just poked her rather hard with a pen or something. She glanced off in the direction that the feeling was coming from. The direction that Shinn and the Specter went. _'Be careful Shinn…'_

But she wasn't the only one that felt it. Both Rey and Neo glanced off in the same direction from where they were. Only Neo knew what it was. "I pity whoever's facing Treize right now," he muttered. "One way or another, they're dead."

Treize's chilling laughter faded, but Shinn's dread only grew. "My turn," Treize said, grinning like a predator standing over its prey.

Shinn barely caught him as the Specter charged, blocking his sword with his sabers. Shinn was freaked out. It was like the Specter was standing there one moment and then it was on him the next. The Specter was fast, but it couldn't be _that_ fast. No machine could. But then how could be so fast?

"Not so confident now, eh Coordinator?" Treize mocked, knocking the Impulse back.

"I…I-I won't lose…" Shinn uttered, trying to expel the aura of dread that was gripping him. He repeated the mantra over and over, his fear leaving and his focus returning bit by bit each time he repeated it. "I won't lose to you!"

He lunged forward, swinging his left saber at the Specter. The instant Treize blocked it with his sword, Shinn struck with his right saber, but Treize raised his shield in time. Shinn then followed up with a kick to the Specter's torso, knocking it back. However, the machine stayed on its feet and struck back, swinging its Tempest sword in a downward arc. Shinn pulled up sabers, crossing them together, blocking the swing. The two were locked in a contest of strength, trying to overpower the other, their machines beginning to groan under the strain.

Treize was the one to gain the upper hand, kneeing the Impulse, breaking its guard. His sword cut into the Impulse's left shoulder. But it was shallow and caused no damage save cutting into the armor.

"Looks like first blood goes to me, Patchworker," Treize mocked.

"So what? You won't beat me!" Shinn yelled back, thrusting both sabers forward.

Treize twisted the Specter to the side, avoiding the sabers by only a few feet and hit the Impulse's head with his free fist.

"_Treize! They've compromised the base's location and destroyed all the Windams. We have no choice, we're withdrawing,"_ Neo ordered over the radio, momentarily distracting Treize.

The white haired Extended scowled at the orders. "Very well sir. I'll be there in a moment."

It was time to end this.

Treize grabbed the Impulse's right arm. Before the ZAFT pilot could react, Treize drove his sword into the joint between the Impulse's right shoulder and chest, severing the limb. "Damn it," Shinn cursed as he pulled up his left saber to block another attack.

But Treize was faster, slicing off the Impulse's remaining hand at the wrist. The Specter's left hand reached out and grabbed the Impulse's head. "Like I said before, I'm not leaving without your head," Treize said, raising his sword.

With a single thrust into the Impulse's neck, Shinn's mobile suit was decapitated. The Specter pulled back his hand, the Impulse's head still in its grasp. Treize smirked. "See. Now to finish you _off_!"

Shinn, panicking now, tried to break free of his grasp. He couldn't believe it. Despite everything he had thrown at the Specter and its pilot, he just couldn't seem to touch it while it had practically crippled the Impulse. "It can't end like this…" he whispered to himself.

"Die!" Treize roared, moving to strike him down.

Suddenly, a barrage of beams stuck the ground before him, pushing Treize back. Both pilots looked up. The Savior and the ZAKU Duel were flying towards the pair. "Shinn, are you alright?" Athrun called out as they resumed firing on the Specter.

"Yeah…" Shinn replied in a shaky tone.

Treize swore as he backed away, evading the shots. He was running low on time and the Specter's battery was low on power. As much as he hated it, he had to withdraw. Treize took off, raising the severed head of the Impulse in front of him. "Coordinator, you have proven yourself worth being killed by me. I trust you won't disappoint me by dying before then."

And with that he was off, heading back to the John Paul Jones.

Shinn suppressed a shutter as fled with Athrun and Yzak. That pilot was a monster. A truly terrifying monster. If he was going to take him down, Shinn knew he needed to get stronger. It was the only way.

* * *

And done. I know most of the battles were just bits and pieces of fights, but considering that there were lot of characters involved, it was hard to cover all of them. So I did it like this, focusing on the key battle at the end while just having sections of the other fights.

As to the White Devil part of the title, it will be made clear in due time for those who doesn't realize what it is yet.

And as always, review!


	19. Phase Seventeen: The Soldier’s Life

Yo everybody! Not much to say today. This chapter would have been up sooner had it not been for the fact that I had been working on the plot of Legacy, the final story in my SEED series, which has changed in several areas since I created the original draft. This in turn is going to affect a few of the things in Destiny, though nothing major from my original plans. It's just some new or altered little things and the introduction of a few characters that will play major role Legacy though they'll only be minor and secondary characters in Destiny.

Now a few people have been bugged about Sting in the last battle. That was my fault. I forgot about him. He fought in the battle I just forgot to mention him.

**Phase Seventeen: The Soldier's Life**

The John Paul Jones

The hanger crew of John Paul Jones cheered as the Specter entered the hanger, the Impulse's head in its hand. Treize set it down on the hanger floor before taking his mobile suit's position in the hanger.

"Did you finish it off?" Neo asked, approaching Treize as he exited his machine.

"No. A few of his buddies showed up while my power was starting to run low. I had to withdraw," Treize answered, disgusted that he had failed to finish the Impulse off.

"At least you sent them a message," Neo said, looking down at the severed head. "They aren't unbeatable. We'll finish them off next time."

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

Things weren't that much different in the Minerva. While they had technically won, they had lost the Nyiragongo and her crew in the battle. Then there was the matter of Shinn's actions in the battle. "What the hell did you think you were doing out there?!" Yzak demanded, slapping Shinn across the face. "I ordered everyone to stick close to the ship, not go off on your own, leaving us to battle the Earth Forces on our own!"

"I didn't have choice!" Shinn yelled back, trying to defend his actions. "The Specter pulled me away from the Minerva! And every time I tried to head back to the ship, it only pulled me back further! Even then, I took out that artillery gun that was trying to destroy the ship and found their base! And I…I…" Shinn paused, remembering the murdered civilians. "I did what I could to help us push them back. That's all I did!"

Now it was Athrun's turn to get involved. "Quit making excuses! War isn't about being a hero!" he replied, slapping Shinn as well. "Do you know why they fled? It wasn't because you found their hidden base or that you took out their new cannon, it was because everyone else managed to take out all of the Windams that were supporting them. Something we would have achieved much sooner and with less damage had you not gone off on your own and tried to play the hero!"

Shinn clenched his fists in anger, trying to come up with something to say in his defense. But he couldn't.

"That being said, you did manage to destroy that gun and locate their incomplete base," Yzak calmly said, pushing Athrun aside as he spoke to Shinn. "The Captain is already sending Carpentaria the location of that base so they can launch a preemptive strike. But the results don't excuse the actions. Athrun came to your aid and ordered you to fall back with him, which you disobeyed." His tone turned cold. "However, I am only giving a warning this time. The next time you disobey orders, I will assign the Impulse to someone more capable and if you're lucky, you'll be piloting a ZAKU, am I clear?"

Needless to say, Shinn didn't like this, but it wasn't like he could do much. Yzak was his commanding officer. He could punish him as he saw fit. "Sir, yes sir," he said, forcing himself to answer.

* * *

The Next Day

"_A few days ago, ZAFT's newest warship, the Minerva, was engaged by our brave soldiers from the partially completed Base,"_ Serena Ryker said to the crowd as on large screens behind her showed the Impulse fighting the forces of the Indian Ocean Base._ "While the battle raged several miles from the coast, a lone ZAFT mobile suit snuck into the incomplete base, where this White Devil proceeded to viciously attack defenseless civilians who had been hired to build the base!" _The Impulse appeared on screens, standing over the civilians trying to flee from the base. Suddenly, it fired its rifle. Explosions and fire consumed the fleeing civilians. The crowd cried out in horror and anger._ "Thankfully, our own ace pilots, seeing this cowardly and monstrous attack, drove the White Devil off, allowing the base's surviving personnel to lend aid to those who survived its brutal assault. Sadly, many innocent lives were lost despite their best efforts. Yet has Durandal or ZAFT made any public statement about this incident?" _She paused, waiting for an answer that no one gave. _"No they haven't."_

The screens stopped playing, instead showing a waving Earth Alliance flag. _"This, my friends, is why we cannot allow Durandal and his bloodthirsty cronies to remain in power. Because they care little for those of us who live on Earth! For those of us who are Naturals!"_

"_Yeah!!"_

"_Down with Durandal!!"_

"_Down with the monsters of Break the World!!"_

The crowd continued to shout and scream for a few minutes before Serena raised her hands, quieting the crowd. _"They don't care so long as we remain quiet, obedient dogs. Those people were merciless gunned down by the White Devil because they were hired by the 'enemy' and therefore were the enemy while their families that come, worried about their safety as the nearby battle raged, were the enemy because they were there and were related to the 'enemy'. Hence, to the White Devil, they deserved the same as any enemy of ZAFT, annihilation!"_

Images of dead and dying people filled the screens as EA medics and soldiers frantically tried to save as many as they could. There gasps and cries of anger and horror from the crowd once again._ "People of Earth, I give you this solemn vow on behalf of the Earth Alliance, Durandal, the White Devil, and all the other criminals hiding in the PLANTs, will be brought to justice for their crimes. Justice will be swift. It will be merciless. And it will be righteous." _Serena slammed a fist into her podium while the crowd broke out into cheers.

"_For the future of our world and its people!" _she shouted, thrusting a fist into the air.

"_For the future of our world and its people!!" _the people echoed, thrusting their own fists up.

"That's a lie!!" Shinn screamed, throwing a can at the screen as the other people in the lounge began to whisper and mutter amongst themselves. Only the Captain, Yzak, Athrun, and possibly the XO, who had read his report, had any idea on what had happened. And aside from his report, he hadn't told anyone about those deaths. "I didn't kill those people! They did! I was trying to get them out of the base and away from the fighting!"

"Calm down Shinn," Rey said, putting a hand on Shinn's shoulder. "We know you didn't kill those people, but people like her don't care. They'll twist the truth to trick the people of Earth into hating us. But we can't let their words get to us or we'll become what they say we are."

"Though what she said did have a grain of salt," Saul, who was sitting on one of the couches in lounge, commented. "Had you not entered the base and tried to help those people, they wouldn't have been caught in the crossfire. In a way, it is your fault for their deaths."

"But I-"

"Didn't pull the trigger? That may be, but at times, it can far more damaging to help someone than it is for them to struggle on their own," Saul continued. "Of course, to be honest, had I been in your position, I probably would have done the same thing. But regardless, there's nothing we can do to change what's happened." He stood up. "All we can do is try to make sure that such things don't happen again." He put his hand on Shinn's shoulder. "I've been through this dance before, so let me give you some advice. Things will happen, you'll screw up, people will die, you'll lose teammates, friends, before this is all over. I know it's a lot to handle, but all you can do is accept it and move on. You let your emotions and your pride run wild, it will only make things worse. Take everything one day, one mission, at a time and you'll do fine."

* * *

Durandal's Office

Aprilius One

"_For the future of our world and its people!!"_

Durandal shook his head as he muted the screen. He knew that Shinn did not kill those people without reading any of the reports, at least not intentionally. It just wasn't in his character. But to try to tell that to the people of Earth would just be throwing more fuel on fire. Denying it would only make them look even guiltier. Of course, saying nothing would be just as bad. It would show that he didn't care about the people of Earth. What he needed was some brutality on the part of the Earth Alliance, to show the people of Earth their real side. Until that time, there was little he could do.

He turned his attention to his chessboard, studying it as though it were entire war and everyone fighting in it. His eyes focused on the black queen, the Minerva. That ship was vital to everything he had planned. As the Archangel changed the course of the last war, so too would the Minerva change of this war. But his hopes weren't the only thing aboard that ship. Among his most useful and dangerous pieces were with it. Shinn, the Kira Yamato of his Archangel, was among the most vital of them. With Rey's whispers in one ear and his words in the other, Shinn would one day become the greatest champion of the new world. Then of course, there was Rey, one part of Rau's legacy, yet the only one that had been completely unaware of Rau's insane, obsessive quest to destroy humanity. Rey was the single most loyal person he had, which was due in no small part to his long friendship with his older 'brother' Rau and the talks they had after his death. Had it not been for the fact that Rey was doomed to a much shorter life than that of a normal person, he too would have become a great champion of the new world. Instead, he would simply be one of the many lesser and forgotten people who helped bring about the new world. Then of course, there were the other, lesser pilots, who would carry out their duties loyally but were merely pawns on the board. Though there were some that were questionable about how far their loyalty would go. But they would be dealt with if they stepped out of line.

But there were also potentially dangerous individuals on the Minerva. Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsman, Saul Kessel and Nicol Amalfi. They were veterans and heroes of the last war, unfortunately, while they could have been useful warriors, they were dangerously connected to Lacus Clyne. He didn't trust them, which was why they aboard the Minerva, so Rey could keep a close eye on them and report back any suspicious behavior from them. Though his biggest concern was with their influence over Athrun. The son of Patrick Zala was another useful knight, but he was standing on a fence. While he could become another champion, he could just as easily become one of their greatest enemies.

Only time would tell which side the Red Knight would side with. Hopefully, Athrun would side with him, and then he and Shinn would strike down the White Knight and the Black Knight, the two most dangerous pilots his enemies had and help usher in the new age.

* * *

The Archangel

Off the Coast of the Kingdom of Scandinavia

The bridge crew of the Archangel and some of their pilots watched the various news broadcasts going out across the planet as the ship rested on the ocean floor. Needless to say, nearly all of it was about the war. "There sure is a lot of depressing news these days," Andrew mused. "Don't you wonder if there was any uplifting news for them to report on?"

"Like a dolphin in an aquarium giving birth to a little white baby calf?" Murrue playfully replied, earning a few chuckles from the crew.

"Well…Not _that_ uplifting."

"But still, it feels like there's something amiss here," Cagalli commented. "It's always that woman who gives the first word on anything big and everyone else just echoes her words. Take that battle the other day. No one uttered a single word about any battle in the Indian Ocean until she first spoke. Now they're all attacking Durandal and ZAFT."

"Yes. She is the spokeswoman for the Alliance and their leaders," Samuel said. "But her words border on the line of Blue Cosmos. They even have a new catch phase."

"You think they're still running the Alliance?" Murrue asked.

"Azrael was killed the war, but it was possible that those like him were still in a position of power and influence over the Alliance. Though given their current actions, I'd say that it's people who aren't as radical and anti-Coordinator as he was," the old general answered.

"And in the PLANTs, this is all they're talking about," Lacus added, bringing up one of the PLANT networks.

It was the fake Lacus Clyne, clad in a highly revealing dress, singing a faster, upbeat version of one of Lacus's old classics before a cheering crowd of ZAFT soldiers.

"Well… She certainly is _lively_," John commented.

"Yeah. Though it's kinda creepy that she has Lacus's face," Liz added. "To see someone dress and dance like that but has Lacus's face is just bizarre."

Flay shook her head at the screen. "I don't know. She looks more like some kind of showgirl, using her body to sell something."

Andy shrugged. "Sex sells. It's been like that since the dawn of man."

"They do all seem to be enjoying themselves," Lacus commented, a concerned and saddened edge to her voice.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Cagalli asked the songstress. "We could try to do something about this."

"If we could do something about it, we would. But we can't afford a careless move at this point. If word got out to the wrong people, it'd be big trouble, especially to the Kingdom of Scandinavia, who so kindly took us in," Andy pointed out.

John nodded his head, agreeing with his old friend. "Yeah, there's too many dangers out there at the moment. But eventually we'll straighten things out."

"But we can't stay here forever, hiding at the bottom of the ocean," Cagalli retorted. "…And I'm worried about Orb."

Kira glanced at his sister. "We can't make a move yet. We still don't have all the facts," he said, sympathizing with his sister. "There's too many unknowns out there for us at the moment."

"That's true. Even though the dropping of Junius Seven inflicted a large amount of damage to the planet, the PLANT's stance after the incident has sincere while the Alliance seems more focused on rally all the people on Earth against Durandal and his government than driving aggressively against the PLANTs," Murrue said, rubbing her chin in contemplation.

"Yeah. They're being careful about what they say," John added. "While what they say sounds like the words of Blue Cosmos, they focus not on the PLANTs and all Coordinators, but rather Durandal and the leaders of ZAFT. I think they're trying to undermine Durandal and his government by turning the people against them."

"Indeed. Perhaps they seek to overthrow Durandal and replace him with a puppet government while the people of the PLANTs thank them for it," Samuel suggested. "Which would is far more practical than trying to wipe out the PLANTs. And beneficial too, as the Earth Alliance would be the only super power left and there would be no legacy of wiping out all of the PLANTs to achieve it."

"But it goes appear to a difficult task for them. Ever since the war started, ZAFT has taken no aggressive move beyond a few small preemptive strikes and reactivating a number of smaller bases and outposts from the last war, but all for defensive reasons. There's been no major attacks, no conquering of regions. My first reaction to his actions and the rhetoric of the Alliance is the urge to join ZAFT and teach the Alliance a lesson," Murrue admitted.

"When I first met him, I thought that Chairman Durandal was a great leader. But then when I learned of the attempt on Lacus…" Cagalli said, her tone unsure. "I just don't know what to make of him now, but I can see why Athrun wanted to go back to the PLANTs."

Kira scowled. "But then who gave the order to kill Lacus?" he asked to no one in particular. "And now there's those concerts. I don't believe what he says. Durandal's tricking everyone."

"The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing man he didn't exist," John commented, sipping his coffee.

* * *

The Minerva

Near ZAFT's Mahamul Base

Later that day

"I've picked up the guide beacon from Mahamul Base, ma'am," Meyrin said.

"Lock onto the beacon and prepare to dock," Talia ordered.

"Beacon fixed. Commencing docking procedures," Malik said.

Mahamul had been a deactivated base from the last war that had been reactivated during the aftermath of Break the World, serving as a relief station for the locals. Mahamul had also been the staging ground of the famed Andrew Waltfeld's African campaign which led to the success conquest of much of Africa until the Desert Tiger's defeat at the hands of the Archangel. Now the base was a vital ZAFT outpost in the Middle East, from which ZAFT could launch, if need be, attacks against Alliance forces in the Middle East to Egypt.

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

"Man… Those guys at HQ are so lucky," Vino complained. "Lacus Clyne hasn't performed in ages. I wish I could have been there."

"You know, she's changed her singing style, don't you think?" Yolant added.

Vino nodded his head. "Yeah."

"I'd always thought she'd sound better if sang the way she does now. It makes her sound…younger. She looks cuter now too."

"Don't you just love that outfit she wears now?" Vino eagerly asked.

"Oh yeah! You can tell she's totally stacked!" Yolant said, picturing Lacus Clyne and the things he'd love to do to her. "I can't wait until I get a poster of-GAH!!"

Both boys shrieked in surprise as Athrun appeared, approaching the pair.

"Where is Savior's maintenance log?" he calmly asked.

"Ah… Right here sir," Vino quickly answered, handing him the personal computer that contained the machine's maintenance logs."

Athrun took it and nodded his head, studying the screen. "Gentlemen," he said, walking away.

Both boys breathed sighs of relief. Athrun hadn't heard them ogling his wife to be. "You believe he's her fiancée? He's so lucky," Vino said, wishing that he was Athrun.

"You know, it would be that hard to pull a few cables out of the Savior…" his friend slyly suggested.

"I can still hear you two," Athrun called out.

Both techs froze, thinking the same thing. '_Crap! He heard that…'_

"And everything else you said," he added.

"Sorry sir!" the two quickly shouted.

Nearby, Saul started laughing as he walked towards Athrun. "Figures. You get the world famous fiancée that everybody can't stop talking about and ogling."

Athrun scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah…"

"So how's Cagalli taking it?"

"I…I haven't spoken to her since I left for the PLANTs."

Saul winced in imagined pain. "Ouch… You know, she's going to beat you to death with your own skull when you too meet again. Especially if she sees those tabloid photos they got of you two in the PLANTs."

Now Athrun winced. Someone had taken photos of them together? That wasn't good. Hopefully Cagalli would understand. He wasn't attracted to Meer, he loved Cagalli. If not, he was in for a world of hurt when this was all over.

Saul glanced around for a moment. "So what is with that _Lacus_ in the PLANTs?" he quietly asked.

Athrun wanted to answer Saul, but he had a feeling that it wasn't wise to tell anyone that Durandal's Lacus was a fake. Of course, Saul was one of the people who knew that wasn't the real Lacus. "I…"

"C'mon, you can tell me. The four of us are already well aware that she isn't Lacus," Saul said. "So spill it."

"What makes you think that I know anything about her?" Athrun asked, trying to deflect the question.

"Well, before Lacus stole the Eternal way back when, she was arranged to marry you. I don't know if you've seen any of the tabloids in the PLANTs, but they're talking about you and her all the time."

Athrun's face reddened in embarrassment. "What?!"

Saul nodded. "Yep. Some of them claim that the two of you have spent the last two years living on some tropical island together to escape everything that had happened in the war. In fact, someone's writing a book based on that notion."

Athrun's face somehow managed to become even redder. "You're joking…"

"No. In fact, my girlfriend, Naomi, has been bugging about it. You see, she knows that I know you and she wants to know if it's true. If you and Lacus have been living on a tropical island before all this happened."

"I…I…I-I…You have a girlfriend?" Athrun asked.

"Yes!" Saul angrily replied. "Why do people always ask that when I tell them I have a girlfriend?! Is it really that hard to believe?! …Wait. You're trying to distract me aren't you?"

"…Partly," Athrun admitted.

"Well I do have a girlfriend, so let's not go into that. We're talking about you and that Lacus. Why is she around already?"

Athrun sighed. "She's a girl named Meer. The Chairman hired her to help keep the people of the PLANTs calm with everything going on."

"Well, that make sense," Saul commented, pondering things. "You know, it makes you wonder why he feels the need to have a fake Lacus. Surely a skilled speaker like himself wouldn't need Lacus Clyne, fake or real. Ah well, I got some things to take care of. See ya later."

With that, Saul turned and left. And for the first time, Athrun really began to wonder why the Chairman had Meer to begin with...

* * *

With the Minerva now docked at the Mahamul Base, Talia and several of her top officers were disembarking to greet the Base's Commandant. The ship had taken a beating, but it wasn't as bad as it had been when they pulled in Carpentaria. In another day, they'd be back up to a hundred percent.

"Captain Talia Gladys of the Minerva," Talia greeted, saluting the group of ZAFT officers from Mahamul.

"Arthur Trine, Executive Officer of the Minerva," Arthur added with his own salute.

Yzak, Athrun, and the other Minerva officers with them saluted as well. "Yzak Joule, Commander of the Minerva's mobile suit team."

"Athrun Zala, FAITH Special Forces."

As the Mahamul officers returned the salutes there were whispers and murmurs from some of them, wondering if it was _that_ Athrun Zala. "Joachim Ruddle, Commandant of the Mahamul Base," the base commander said, dropping his salute and reaching out to shake Talia's hand. The two officers shook their hands. "Thank you for making it out here. Please, make yourselves at home here."

Talia bowed her head. "Thank you."

"We may not have much here, but we do have some damn good coffee beans," Ruddle offered as he guided the Minerva's top four officers into the base.

* * *

Commandant Ruddle's Office

A short while later.

The officers had dispensed with the pleasantries and focused on the matters at hand. Ruddle quietly listened as they explained what had happened in the Indian Ocean and the loss of the Nyiragongo. Once they finished, Ruddle sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Captain Phillips was a good friend. But it couldn't be helped. You were in difficult situation. Outnumbered and struggling to survive."

"The situation here seems difficult too," Talia commented, studying the map.

Ruddle nodded. "Yes," he said. "With the fighting strength they have at Suez, we can't afford to go in carelessly. If we want to take care of Suez, we should just do an orbit drop operation. That's what we did in the last war. But for some reason, the council will not approve that particular plan."

Talia nodded her own head in agreement. "I'm not surprised that they didn't rubber stamp that idea, after telling the world that we don't want to acquire new territory."

"No one wants to needlessly escalate this war. I fully support the actions of the Chairman and the current administration," Ruddle replied. "But…because we're trying to play nice, it makes our job harder."

Talia felt a growing tug in the pit of her stomach, a bad feeling. "What do you mean? Are you saying there's something else, other than Suez?" she asked, but already suspected what the answer was.

"It's safe to assume that the forces at Suez are preparing to attack us here in Mahamul then swing around hit Gibraltar again," Ruddle explained, tracing a path on the map. "Fortunately, they are currently unable to do that. And why? The reason is here," he added, pointing to the region west of Suez.

Arthur blinked. "Lower Western Eurasia?" he asked.

"Yes. Now that we have both Gibraltar and the Indian Ocean under our control, maintaining the stability of this area between Suez and the rest of Eurasia is a must. If not, Suez would become cut off and isolated." Ruddle pushed a button on the table, activating a 3D hologram of the area. "That's why they've built a stronghold here, at the energy plant in Gulnahan. It's from there that they're maintaining a lifeline to Suez, as well as cracking down on a few of the more dangerous factions in the region. While those groups are being run to ground by the Eurasian forces, they are eager to get rid of Eurasian control over the area, and may be able to help us."

Athrun stared at the map, putting together all of the information they had just received. "I see. So what you're saying is, taking out that base will not only cut the lifeline to Suez, but aiding the resistance movement and dealing an indirect blow to the Earth Forces by breaking their control over the region. Is that about right?"

If Ruddle was surprised but Athrun's insight, he didn't show it. "Yes. That's a good summation of things. But they're aware of this as well. Obviously, they're not going to make it easy for us." The map zoomed in on a canyon that led start to Gulnahan. "The only way to approach Gulnahan is through this ravine. But the Eurasian forces already know this and have placed a formidable defense line there. They've built a positron cannon there and have a new mobile armor, equipped with reflectors, as well as an ace team of black high-performance Windams to defend it. We tried to attack it once before but it ended in a disaster. When they tried to attack the cannon, the mobile armor shielded the cannon with its reflectors while it charged up. The cannon fired, wiping out most of the force we sent. Those that did survive were hunted down by the black Windams as they tried to regroup and flee."

"It's just like that one from before," Arthur quietly said, remembering the Zamza-Zah and its formidable reflectors.

"But… Perhaps with the Minerva, we can take it out," a weary Ruddle said, the pain of those lost soldiers still fresh in his mind.

Now Talia fully understood why they had been sent here. "I see. Essentially, we won't be able to reach Gibraltar unless we break through here, isn't that right Arthur?"

Arthur blinked a few times in confusion. "Huh? Yes ma'am."

"I wonder what _sly fox_ thought up this plan." Of course, Talia already knew who did, but it wasn't like she could do anything about that. She shook her head, less then pleased with Gilbert's actions. "Oh well… If it's our orders then it's our duty to carry them out. Is there anything else we need to know?"

"No," Ruddle answered. "Nothing related to the mission. Though it's highly unlikely that they'll be able to dispatch anything from Suez to aid those stationed at what our people are calling the Lohengrin Gate. As I've recently heard that Gibraltar will be launching a few raids against Suez to distract the EA forces there. I believe the veteran Dante Team is involved in the first raid that's taking place tonight."

Athrun immediately perked up at hearing the name, reminding him of old times. "A veteran team you say? I've never heard of that team," he commented.

"Really? I'm surprised by that. The Dante Team is led by another FAITH operative and they are one of the Chairman's personal teams. In fact, Commander Dante was one like yourselves, a youth who fought in last war and some of its greatest battles, Jachin Due, Operation Spitbreak, and the like."

Athrun's eyes widened. Athrun's thoughts were racing wildly in his head. It couldn't be. Could it? He died at Jachin Due. But could he have survived somehow? But if it was him, why hadn't he tried to contact them? "Commandant Ruddle, do you happen to know this commander's name?"

Ruddle thought for an agonizingly slow moment, scratching his chin, before ultimately shaking his head. "Sorry. I'm not good with names. But he'll be involved in the upcoming actions at Suez, just like you will be. I'm sure you'll have an opportunity to see him before long."

Athrun nodded. He doubted it was who he thought it was, but even if there was only a distant, insanely remote possibility, he figured that he better meet this Commander Dante himself and make sure one way or another.

* * *

In the Mediterranean Sea

Midnight

"Alright people, these ASHs are brand new machines. We're the first team to use these things in actual combat," Commander Dante said as his team traveled through the Mediterranean Sea. "Intelligence is reporting that Suez is preparing to launch an attack against Gibraltar. We'll just be launching a short raid against the Suez Base, but hopefully it will delay their attack long enough for our forces to have prepared to attack Suez as planned. Remember, this is just a raid. We go in, we attack and we pull out. No heroics, just in and out."

"Don't worry Commander," Heine said from his orange ASH. "I speak for all of us when I say that we don't want to die in these ugly tin cans."

Commander Dante chucked in the cockpit of his red and black ASH. "Alright then, let's show these Earth pilots who they're dealing," he said, gunning the throttle. "Inflict as much damage as possible."

The rest of his team sped up, racing towards the Alliance base. Undoubtedly, they had detected them already, but they were ready for whatever the Earth Alliance could muster in the short term for their defense.

* * *

A few people have been bugging me about having some more stuff with Commander Dante, so I've decided to have brief battle with him in the next chapter. But rest assured, there will be more of him in the chapters to come.

Next up, the Lohengrin Gate battle. Something I've been looking forward to doing for quite some time. There will be some interesting changes in the battle and its aftermath.

As always, review! I makes me work faster on the next chapters.


	20. Phase Eighteen: Attack the Lohengrin

Yo everybody! This has to be one of my fastest updates. And even more surprising, it's a longer than normal chapter. But this and the next two were ones I had been looking forwards to for some time. So it's fairly likely that the next chapters may be up sooner than normal too.

Now, I didn't do a MS data sheet for the high performance Windams, since there's no real change from the normal Windam besides superior capabilities and one special piece of equipment. But they will appear again in the Destroy Battle and Heaven's Base, the latter of which will have them in new machines of creation and those will have a MS section for those ones.

**Phase Eighteen: Attack the Lohengrin**

Earth Alliance Suez Base

"Don't let them surface! Fire!" a Windam lieutenant shouted to his squadmates as they fired their rifles from one of the Suez Base docks, their beams impacting the water.

Suddenly, a red ASH leaped out of the water, a few feet from where the beams were hitting water. The lieutenant managed to utter a single curse before its beam claws tore his machine and the Windam on his right. Before the rest of the Windam squad could react, the ASH fired its shoulder-mounted beam guns and hand-mounted machineguns at the machines at its sides, destroying them. The ASH's monoeye swiveled around its track, circling the black raven centered on its head.

Nearby, Heine's ASH jumped on the dock, firing a spread of missiles onto the deck of a docked Des Moines-class cruiser, before turning and firing an advancing Windam squad. "Come on punks! This ain't a ZAKU but its more than enough to beat you guys!"

Commander Dante ignited his beam claws, rushing towards the Windams. Several fired on him while the rest fired on Heine. But Dante was too fast, dodging their beams as he raced for them. He swung his left claw, severing one Windam at the waist while ramming his right claw into the chest of another. As they exploded, Dante deactivated his beams and grabbed a third machine. He ripped off its right arm before throwing it into another Windam. At the same time, Heine gunned down two mobile suits and blew the head off a third which Dante finished off. Suddenly, an explosion tore through the bottom of one of the parked carriers.

"Yeah!" Heine cheered as the ship began to sink. "Take that!"

"Was that Harr or Roberto?" Dante asked, not looking as he raised his ASH's right arm and fired at Windam.

"Roberto I believe," Heine answered.

Dante nodded as he continued to fire without looking, downing another Windam. "Let's see if we can get another carrier."

"Yes sir."

Harr, still underwater, neared one of the carriers, preparing to fire his phonon maser cannon. Roberto had managed to sink one carrier so he was going to do the same. But at that moment, a pair of Deep Forbiddens appeared, firing their phonon maser cannons at him. Harr nimbly dodged their shots, firing back at them. He managed to hit the cannon of one, triggering an explosion and destroying it. The other pulled back its pack and lunged at him with its trident. Harr sidestepped his thrust and grabbed the weapon with his claw. He pulled the weapon, pulling the mobile suit towards him as he drove his other claw forward, tearing through the Deep Forbidden's chest. The machine exploded as Harr turned to the carrier. "Now to get that…Oh crap…"

More Alliance aquatic mobile suits were heading for him. "This is gonna be a challenge."

Suddenly, a barrage of maser beams tore through the group of mobile suits, destroying some and scaring off the others. "Come on rookie," Roberto called out, approaching Harr. "Let's deal with these pests."

Above, Commander Dante grabbed a large supply crate and threw in a docked frigate, hitting its main cannon, damaging it. A Windam fired at him, but he ducked under the shot and fired barrage of missiles at it, taking it out. Dante took a moment to look at the mission clock. They had been engaging the enemy for nearly ten minutes and enemy resistance was increasing. "This is Dante. Gentlemen, it's time to withdraw," he said over the comm.

"I read you sir," Heine said, standing nearby.

"_This is Apolly. Crown and I ready to pull out whenever you are."_

"_Roberto here. I got the rookie with me. But there's a hell of a lot of aquatic suits here. We better get out of here now."_

"Don't worry. We're leaving," Dante replied, leaping back into the water, Heine close behind.

The two sped off, heading toward their sub. Nearby, the other ASHs were withdrawing as well. But they weren't alone, a number of Deep Forbiddens were chasing after them. "They're stubborn alright," Dante commented. "But we're faster. Transform and gun it."

The six ASHs transformed into their mobile armor modes and pushed their throttles to the maximum, quickly outpacing the Alliance mobile suits, forcing them to give up the pursuit. "Good work gentlemen. Mission accomplished," Commander Dante said as they raced back to the Cousteau. "Oh, and Heine, the Chairman has seen fit to promote into FAITH."

"Sir?"

"Yes. I received the message yesterday morning. I have your badge in my quarters."

Heine was at a loss for words. "Ah… Thank you sir," he managed.

"Don't thank me. I didn't do anything," Dante replied. "Thank the Chairman if you must."

* * *

Earth Alliance Gulnahan Base

The Following Morning

Lieutenant Nero Silverburgh wandered through the large warehouse that was currently functioning as a mobile suit hanger, studying the maintenance log of his Windam. The Gulnahan Base was a dull as hell assignment for the newly created Wolfpack Squad, but he couldn't complain. He had heard that some of those Phantom Pain units had assignments in less than pleasant places. '_Serves those punks right,'_ he thought. _'Those Phantom Pain punks couldn't even take out one ship.'_

Nero was a young pilot, too young to have served in the last war. But despite that, he had shown a natural talent for piloting mobile suits in the academy and had graduated at the top of his class and promoted to Lieutenant. But he didn't think that his skill was the only reason he had gotten promoted. Someone was interested in him. Shortly after this war started, he had been assigned to a new, elite unit, the Wolfpack Squad, and given a limited production Windam of superior capability.

"Ensign Almeta," Nero greeted. "How has your training been going?

Ensign Mohinder Almeta was one of the locals from Gulnahan. As part of the Alliance's new reconciliation efforts, they were reaching out to locals, helping them out with domestic problems when they asked for help and training and supplying volunteers to help defend the region. For most part, it was working. Unfortunately, in the Middle East there was a lot of ancient hatreds among the people that just wouldn't die. While many were willing to come together and set aside their old hatreds, others were unwilling to and were causing all kinds of problems. Mohinder was young like him, but eager to protect and serve his people. Nero respected that.

Mohinder had lost nearly all of his family in the crossfire of the last war or at the hands of fanatics that hated his people for some forgotten offence from over a couple hundred years ago. The only family he had left was his little sister, Coniel.

"Good sir. I've finished my training yesterday afternoon and they've assigned me a Windam," the eager Eurasian pilot replied.

"Ah, then you're one of the lucky ones to have gotten a Windam instead of a Dagger," Orion commented, walking towards the pair.

Abram Lucas Alexander Orion, or Orion as he preferred to be called, was his second-in-command and an old friend from their days together in the academy. Like Nero, he was an extremely handsome individual and both had been chased after by many of the female cadets they had trained with at the academy. Orion had black hair and green eyes to Nero's blond hair and blue eyes. Though unlike Nero, who was rather humble about his appearance, Orion was a bit on the vain side and was a ladies' man through and through. But he was also a very talented pilot as were all the Wolfpack members.

"Indeed. Most of the other local pilots have assigned the older Dagger Ls," Nero added.

"Yes. It is a great honor. Perhaps one day I'll be good enough to join your team, Lieutenant Silverburgh," Mohinder said.

Nero chuckled and patted him on the back. "I look forward to that day. And if there are more pilots like you out there, this war will come to a swift end."

* * *

The Minerva

Shinn stood on one of the Minerva's outside decks, staring out at the ocean as the sun rose. It was quite, save for the sounds of base personnel going about their duties. The Minerva would soon be taking off, heading onto their next mission. But for now, things were peaceful.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Athrun asked as he stepped onto the deck and started approaching Shinn.

"Nothing," Shinn replied, wanting him to just leave. "Should you even be out here? Aren't FAITH members busy with important stuff? How do you justify being out here and slacking off?"

Athrun stopped for a moment and rolled his eyes. "You really have a way of saying things that get on a person's nerves, you know that. So what's really bugging you? Me coming back, or is it that Yzak and I slapped you?"

"No. I wouldn't say that I'm upset. But you're not going to find anyone that likes being hit," Shinn answered as Athrun walked up to him. "Think about it. One day this guy's the bodyguard for the Athhas of Orb and the next, he's my superior and a member of FAITH. I'm having a hard time understanding it and taking your orders. It just doesn't seem like there's any real reason for you to be here, _Commander_."

"Yeah… I understand what you're saying and you do have a point," Athrun admitted as he stared out from the deck. "I can see how it must look to you. It must be pretty difficult to make sense of what I'm doing. So is that the reason? Is that why you can't follow my orders, because you don't like me?"

This caught Shinn off-guard. "Well… No," he said, staring at Athran while struggling to find the right words.

"So what you're saying is that you're always right and that whatever you don't like or agree with is a mistake."

Now Athrun was getting on Shinn's nerves. "I never said that!"

Athrun turned to face Shinn. "Okay. Then what about what you did in the Indian Ocean? Do you still believe that it was the right thing to do?" he asked.

"Yes."

Athrun paused, accepting the answer. Shinn did try to do the right thing, even if it had been the wrong thing to do. There was something else he wanted to ask Shinn. He had talked to both Rey and Luna about Shinn and his past, specifically about his grudge with Orb and the Athhas. Unfortunately, they knew little about that. But they did know that Shinn was an orphan which confirmed Athrun's suspicions. "You lost your family on Onogoro Island, didn't you?"

Shinn scowled and looked away. "They were killed. By the Athhas."

Now it all made sense. Shinn had lived in Orb all his life until that day. When they died, like so many others, he needed someone to blame. In this case, Lord Uzumi Nara Athha and his family for the difficult decision to oppose the Alliance. What Shinn failed to realize was that any choice Lord Uzumi made, would have met with Orb being attacked. "Well if you want to think that, then go right on ahead. But is that when you came up with the _idea_?"

Shinn turned to Athrun, visibly confused by what he was asking.

"You know, when you thought to yourself, 'If only I had the power. I need more power.'"

"More power? Why are you saying this?" Shinn demanded.

"Anyone who's ever wept because they felt weak or powerless has had these thoughts. Yes…" He stopped for a moment, staring out into space, remember dark moments from the past when he had those feelings. His mother's death. Nicol's near death. He shook his head, clearing those memories from his head. "But the moment you acquire all that power you've dreamt of, you become the one who causes others to weep tears of loss."

Shinn just stared at him. The teen was at loss of words. "Just try not to forget that." With that, Athrun started heading back inside. "We're going to be going into battle again soon. If you forget that while you're out there and throw your power at others out of a sense of your own self-righteousness or because it conveniently suits your purposes, than you'll be nothing but a destroyer. And that's not what you are, are you?" Athrun stopped, glancing back at Shinn. "We're here to carry out our mission as soldiers. We're not here to pick fights."

"I get the point," Shinn replied, his tone a bit less disrespectful than it had been.

"We'll leave it at that. As long as you don't forget what I've told you, you'll be one hell of a pilot one day," Athrun said, stepping into the doorway, but not going inside completely. "But if you do forget, then you're a damned idiot."

Before Shinn could say anything, Athrun stepped inside the ship, the door closing behind him.

* * *

An hour later, the Minerva took off, flying over the base, a Lesseps-class land battleship, the Desmond, and a Petrie-class land battleship, the Bagley, following after it. Their destination, the Earth Alliance stronghold known as the Lohengrin Gate.

* * *

Pilot Briefing Room

Several Hours Later

All of the Minerva's pilots save for Yzak and Athrun, were in their flightsuits and waiting for the briefing to start. "So, anyone got any idea on what we're doing today?" Saul asked.

"Not a clue," Luna replied.

"The two of us were playing poker last night with some of the techs from the base and they were telling us how an entire time was wiped out on a mission the other day. Though they didn't know much beyond that. Perhaps what we're doing today is related to that," Tristan suggested.

At that moment, Arthur entered the briefing room, followed by Athrun, Yzak, and a tanned man in civilian clothes. All of the pilots instantly snapped to attention.

"Please be seated," Arthur said to the Minerva's pilots. Once the pilots were sitting down, he continued. "Well, let's get to it then. This briefing is to explain the greater details of the operation to break through the enemy defense battery, Lohengrin Gate, which we are conducting jointly with the Ruddle Team as well as with a local resistance group. I'm sure you're all aware that taking out this enemy battery is tall order. A team from Mahamul has already tried to take this battery out, unfortunately, the mission was a failure. But I'm confident that we'll succeed. Yzak, Athrun, I trust that you two can take it from here."

The two nodded their heads. Arthur stepped away from the front of the room, turning out the lights and turning on a projector, displaying a town, a large industrial area next to it, and a large rocky region south of it with a single canyon traveling through from the bottom of the map to the town.

Yzak pulled out a pointer and turned to the map. "This is an overhead view of the Gulnahan region and the ravine we've dubbed the Lohengrin Gate. The town and the large energy plant lie here, behind this bluff here. The only route to the town is through this canyon pass. However, the enemy has placed a positron cannon on the bluff, covering this section here," he explained, pointing to the various parts of the map. "There's no cover in ravine meaning that no matter how someone approached it, they be in the open. Plus the bluff is heavily fortified against long range attacks, and the cannon itself is kept concealed beneath rock and armor when it is not in use. But it is also guard by mobile suits and a mobile armor equipped with reflectors. Ultimately, a direct assault is impossible." Many of the ZAFT pilots present didn't like the looks of how things were shaping out. It was an ideal defensive position and an absolute nightmare for any attacker to assault without a positron cannon and a reflector equipped mobile armor. "Now, I understand that you guys faced down a similarly equipped mobile armor during Operation Reclaimer."

"That's right," Suiren answered for those who were on board the Minerva at that time.

"Now, our objective in this operation is to-"

"You want us to destroy the mobile armor, blow up the cannon and enter Gulnahan, right?" Shinn interrupted.

Yzak scowled at the interruption, a vein beginning to twitch on his forehead. But before he could say anything, Athrun spoke, "That is what we want to do. But that's why we're here, talking about how we're going to accomplish that, Shinn. Ideas?"

"I could take it out if I put my mind to it," Shinn offhandedly replied.

"Wow! Would you do that for us? We'll just wait behind while you go take care of it," Athrun said, playing with the teen. "Just be sure to let us know when you're through."

Shinn, on the other hand, thought he was being serious. "What?! You want me to…I was just…"

The other seated ZAFT pilots began to laugh and chuckle at the panicking Shinn. Yzak loudly cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself. "Now, let's get back to the topic at hand. Mister Kassad."

The civilian nodded his head. "Yes?"

"He's going to be the pilot," Yzak said, gesturing towards Shinn. "Give him the data."

"That idiot? Surely you must be joking."

Not one to be insulted by anyone, let alone a stranger, Shinn shot up to his feet, shouting, "Hey!"

"This plan rest entirely on a single pilot and their ability, and you want to trust it to that whelp? Are you sure he's the best you have?" Kassad asked, ignoring Shinn completely.

"Say what?!"

"He has the ability to do this," Athrun said, trying to reassure the man.

Kassad turned to Athrun and Yzak. "You two are the ones' in charge here; shouldn't one of you be the pilot for the mission?" he asked. "If this whelp screws it up, our group is done for and Gulnahan will remain in the hands of those Alliance dogs."

"Hey! I'm a damn good pilot!" Shinn shouted, nearly ready to deck the man for repeatedly insulting him.

"That's enough Asuka! Sit down!" Yzak yelled, trying to regain control over things. Submitting to his superior, Shinn sat back down on his seat. "Truthfully, I wanted Athrun for the mission but he wanted you to do it Asuka. He thinks that you can handle it. So I suggest you shut up and listen. Mister Kassad, give him the data so we can finish this up."

Shinn blinked, completely surprised by what he had just heard. Athrun had chosen him for this mission?

Kassad shook his head. "Very well. But you better not fail whelp. My group has already heavy losses during our last attempt to drive the Alliance out, when ZAFT failed the first time. Those of us that survived barely made it out of there. If you fail, we won't survive," he said as he handed a data drive to Shinn.

A red jagged line appeared on a rocky section of the map, reaching up to the bluff of the Lohengrin Gate. "Now, while they have completely covered the ravine approach, they are unaware of a cave that starts here and ends at the base of the bluff," Yzak explained. "However, the reason that they haven't done much to the cave besides sealing it off is because the tunnel is too small for a mobile suit to get through. At least not a normal one. But the Impulse's Silhouette System will enable you to fly straight through the cave, blast out of the cave and destroy the cannon before they retract it. The rest of us will be engaging the mobile suits and the mobile armor, drawing them away from the bluff. But time is of the essence, Asuka. The longer you take the more shots that cannon can fire at us."

Shinn was getting beyond annoyed that everyone was questioning his abilities. "If you don't think that I can handle this, then maybe Athrun should do this," he snapped.

"Shinn, I chose you for this mission not because I wanted you to feel better about yourself, but because I honestly believe that you can do it," Athrun truthfully said.

At that moment, Meyrin's voice came in over the intercom, ending their conversation. _"Approaching Point B. Operation is about to commence. All hands standby. __Executive Officer__ Trine, please report to the bridge."_

"You heard the lady. Get moving everyone," Yzak said.

* * *

The Impulse's Core Splendor was the first to take off, heading for cave, the Chest Flyer, Leg Flyer and Force Silhouette following after it. It didn't take long for Shinn to find the cave opening. Unfortunately, he didn't expect the cave to be pitch black. "Damn it," Shinn swore in frustration. "I'm going to have to fly entirely by the data!"

Which was something much easier said than done. The tunnels were narrow and were far from straight. After a minute or two of flying, the tip of the Core Splendor's wing grazed the cave wall. Shinn pulled away, only to scrape into the opposite wall. "Screw him and his 'I believe in you' crap! He just didn't want to do this himself!"

* * *

Talia watched as the remaining mobile suits launched from the Minerva while the BuCUEs and the GAZuOOTs were launched. Jet Striker equipped Windams and Daggers were heading towards them with their new mobile armor bringing up the rear.

That wasn't good. They needed that mobile armor as far away from the cannon as possible. Unless they fired the main cannon at them, it would stick behind the mobile suits, near the base. "Prepare to fire the Tannhauser at those mobile suits," she ordered.

The Tannhauser hatch on the Minerva's bow opened up, sliding the cannon into firing position. As Talia expected, the Gells-Ghe raced ahead of the Alliance mobile suits, charging up its reflectors. The Tannhauser fired, the positron beam slamming into the equally powerful reflectors, pushing the Gells-Ghe back but ultimately inflicting no damage.

Suddenly, the Earth mobile suits and the Gells-Ghe pulled off to the sides as the Lohengrin Gate cannon fired, its beam streaking towards the airborne Minerva. But the ZAFT warship dove down, scraping the canyon floor, evading the positron beam.

The second their attack ended, the Alliance mobile suits raced forward. "Alright everyone, here they come. Keep them and that mobile armor here and away from the base," Yzak said, firing off his assault rifle.

"Can't let you do that ZAFT!" Nero called out, his black Windam, equipped with a Jet Striker, appearing out of nowhere, firing on the ZAFT mobile suits.

"So this is the Minerva," Orion said, his Windam appearing and igniting its beam sabers. "It doesn't look so tough."

"Don't underestimate it. If the Minerva's here, so is the White Devil," Nero replied as the rest of the Wolfpack Team appeared, surrounding the two ZAFT land ships. "That monster has been giving everyone problems."

"Damn! Mirage Colloid!" Dearka swore firing at one of the nimble black machines, only to have it disappear for a moment before reappearing and firing at him.

"Gells-Ghe, withdraw to the base and defend the cannon," Nero ordered, gunning down a pair of BuCUEs. "We'll handle these guys."

As ordered, the insectoid mobile armor began to pull back from the fighting, heading back to the Lohengrin Gate. Yzak raced after it, but several Windams and Daggers intercepted him, forcing him to stop and deal with them. "Athrun!" he shouted, dodging their shots. "Stop that mobile armor!"

"Right," Athrun replied, transforming the Savior and chasing after it.

But he didn't get very far when Nero's Windam appeared in front of him and fired, forcing Athrun to bank right. "Come on Mister Red. Let's see what you got."

Orion raced towards the Bagley, slicing through a pair of GINN OCHERs before landing on the Petrie-class vessel's deck. Suiren and two other OCHERs raced towards him, but it was too late. Orion's sabers sliced through the Bagley's bridge and jumped away from the ship. "Damn you," Suiren swore as she leaped over the dead Bagley, lunging at the Windam with her own sabers.

"Not bad. But such a lovely sounding woman shouldn't swear," Orion commented, blocking her sabers. "Abram Lucas Alexander Orion, at your service my dear. May I inquire as to what you're name is?"

Suiren was momentarily caught off-guard by his words but Orion didn't exploit it. Was he hitting on her in the middle of a battle? "Er…Suiren Kyusai."

"Hmm…Suiren Kyusai…I'll remember that, beautiful. But don't think that I'll go easy on you just because you sound so lovely," he replied, kicking her ZAKU back.

But she quickly regained her balance and struck back. Their sabers clashed once more. "Good, cause I don't plan to go easy on you either!"

Luna fired her Orthros cannon at wing of Dagger, destroying two while severing the leg of a third. But a second after she fired, one of the Wolfpack fired at her. Luna tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. The beam struck her Guul and it exploded from underneath her feet. Her ZAKU fell to Earth, but as she fell, she fired at the Windam. Missing it, but still forcing it back as she landed.

The Windam started circling around her, firing as it moved. Luna frantically dodged the shots, hoping she could move fast enough to evade the beams.

Suddenly, Rey appeared, firing his assault rifle at the Windam. The Alliance machine nimbly evaded his shots and activated its Mirage Colloid.

"Thanks Rey," Luna called out.

"Don't thank me yet, Lunamaria," he replied, searching for the Windam.

It reappeared behind Rey, a Stiletto drawn. But Rey spun around, pulling his rifle in front of him. The blade pierced his rifle, destroying it, but not Rey' ZAKU. Rey quickly drew a beam tomahawk and swung at Windam. However, the Windam was too fast and pulled away before his blade could reach it.

"Blast! These black Windams are fast," Rey said.

"I know," Saul replied, downing a normal Windam. "They must be high performance models. And I suspect they have a new and improved Mirage Colloid system."

"And their pilots are pretty good too," Nicol added, clashing with one of the Wolfpack pilots.

"Yeah, because that's just our luck," Saul said, throwing his claw at Nicol's opponent.

The black Windam pivoted, raising its left arm in an attempt to block the claw with his shield. The claw struck the shield, raking across it. Leaving a trio of claw marks in it. Then the pilot raised his shield at the ZAKU Surge, revealing a pair of missiles on the underside and fired. "Shoot!" Saul yelled firing at the missiles as they advanced on him.

Nearby, a trio of Daggers raced towards the Minerva, firing off their Drache air to surface missiles at the warship. But the Minerva's CIWS guns managed to shoot down the missiles and even get one of the Daggers. Unfortunately, one of Wolfpack snuck up on the ship and fired its own missiles, impacting the ship's hull.

"Hey! Jackass!" Gekido shouted, firing on the Windam with his rifle and railguns. "Quit playing hide and seek, and fight like a man!"

The Windam ducked under his shots and fired a single shot. The beam pierced Gekido's Guul and it exploded. "Shit!" he screamed as he fell.

"Too easy," the Wolfpack pilot commented. "You'd think he would have been-"

As he landed on the ground, Gekido continued to fire at him. "You can't beat me that easily, jackass!"

Elsewhere, Tristan who, like Luna and Gekido, had lost his Guul from the last shot of a dying Dagger, was now on the deck of Ruddle's flag, the Desmond, helping two OCHERs keep the airborne Alliance machines away from the Lesseps-class land battleship. But they were like a swarm of mosquitoes, numerous and irritating. A beam struck the head of an OCHER, destroying its head and forcing it onto a knee. But before the Windam could finish him off, Tristan fired at it. A trio of beams tore through its chest and the machine exploded. "Are you alright?" Tristan asked.

"I've lost my main camera, but I'm okay sir," the pilot answered, getting back on to his feet.

"Don't call me sir. I may be on the Minerva, but I'm only a Green Coat like you."

"Incoming!" the other OCHER pilot shouted as more mobile suits swooped down on them, launching another attack run on them.

Without saying anything else, the three of them aimed upwards and fired. Tristan managed to shoot down one Dagger and clipped the wing of another, causing it to crash. The headless OCHER somehow hit a Windam while the other took down another and a Dagger.

* * *

Shinn grunted as he turned the Core Splendor on its side, squeezing through a particularly narrow section of the tunnel. Once again he cursed Athrun for choosing him for this mission. He'd much rather be fighting the hordes of Alliance mobile suits and the mobile armor than flying through this cave in complete darkness. But at least he was nearing the end of the tunnel.

The Savior swung its beam saber at the black Windam, but Nero ducked under the diagonal swing and struck back with his own saber, only to end up hitting the Savior's shield. Athrun knew he had to get away from Nero and draw the attention of the Gells-Ghe, and fast. Shinn would be breaking through the cave in a matter of minutes, if not less. And if that mobile armor was still guarding the cannon at that moment, it was unlikely that Shinn would be able to destroy it in time.

* * *

At that moment, the Lohengrin fired again, forcing Nero and Athrun to break away to avoid the beam. Most of the ZAFT and EA forces managed to evade the beam as well, but not all of them. Several Daggers, Windam, GAZuOOTs, a BuCUE and the dead Bagley were caught in the beam's path and were annihilated.

This was Athrun's chance and he wasn't about to waste it. He raced towards the Gells-Ghe as it stood on the bluff. Switching to his beam rifle, Athrun fired at it as the mobile armor responded with its two beam rifles. And it wasn't alone. There were a number of Windams and Daggers on the bluff as well, firing at him.

Athrun dodged the beams as he continued towards the Gells-Ghe. As he drew close to the mobile armor, the mobile suits stopped firing, lest they hit it. Athrun landed in front of it and drew his sabers. The Gells-Ghe lashed at him with its legs as he moved in to destroy it.

Suddenly, an explosion tore through a cliff face next to the bluff. The Core Splendor, followed by the Chest Flyer, the Leg Flyer, and the Force Silhouette, flew out and began to assemble into the Impulse. Once completed, it headed for the cannon. But the base, clearly detecting its intention, began to retract the cannon back into the base while a number of Windams and Daggers standing guard on the bluff began to fire on Shinn.

"Blasted White Devil! You're not going to slaughter my people!" Mohinder roared, firing on the Impulse as it moved towards him.

"Mohinder! Fall back! That machine's too strong for you!" Nero shouted, trying to warn the Eurasian pilot as he sped towards the white machine.

But it was too late. Shinn pulled out one of his knives and drove into the Windam's chest, straight into the cockpit…and Mohinder. "Damn you!" Nero roared, firing at the Impulse.

But Shinn was already moving up towards the cannon and the lone Dagger standing on next to it. Shinn through his shield in front of him, blocking some shots from the Dagger while he drew his remaining knife. Shinn rammed the blade into the Dagger and threw it into the closing hatch of the cannon tunnel. The mobile suit crashed into the cannon and exploded, taking the cannon and triggering a chain reaction. Explosions tore through the cannon shaft, into the base reactor, destroying it and causing more explosions to tear through the base.

"Damn! They've destroyed the Lohengrin Gate!" Nero cursed. "You win this round ZAFT, next time you won't be so lucky! Wolfpack Team! Withdraw!"

Elsewhere, Orion broke off from his duel with Suiren. "Defeated. A shame… Or perhaps not… I hope we meet again, beautiful Suiren," he said, bowing at her.

The six black Windams pulled back from battle, activating their Mirage Colloid, disappearing. At the same time, Athrun finished off the Gells-Ghe, firing the Savior's Super Fortis beam cannons into its spider-like body. With the loss of the cannon, the Gells-Ghe, the base, and the withdraw of the Wolfpack Team, the surviving Earth Alliance forces began to retreat. While ZAFT allowed the survivors to flee, those in Gulnahan itself were less than lucky. The rebels gave no quarter to those fleeing, killing many while capturing others.

A short while later, both the Impulse and the Savior were standing outside Gulnahan. While there was still fighting in the energy plant, most of the town was now under the rebels' control. Many of the rebels were now celebrating their victory around the feet of the two mobile suits. Shinn had climbed out of the Impulse and was on the ground with the rebels, at the center of the celebration. Athrun on the other hand, had chosen just to watch the celebration from the cockpit, in case the Minerva called them.

The battle had been won, the Lohengrin Gate destroyed, the line to Suez cut, and Gulnahan freed from Alliance control. Though if the majority of the townspeople had wanted that, Athrun wasn't too sure as there did not appear to be many of the citizens of Gulnahan involved in celebration with the rebels. But they could just still hiding in their homes in case it was only a momentary defeat of the Alliance.

Yzak appeared, landing his ZAKU outside the party. "Athrun! Are you seeing this?" he called out, sending a transmission to Athrun.

The image showed the city center of Gulnahan, a group of captured Alliance soldiers and townspeople were kneeling in a line as one of their captors executed them one at a time. That didn't surprise Athrun that much. He expected the rebels to execute any captured soldiers and those in the village that collaborated with the EA. He didn't like it, but he expected it. What he didn't expect was the flag one of the rebels was holding. A gold cobra coiling around three crossing swords on a green field. It was the flag of the Eurasian Liberation Army, one of the largest and most violent anti-Earth Alliance groups in the Middle East. Athrun remembered hearing about them and the atrocities they committed during the last war. To the ELA, the means didn't matter so long as Middle East was free of the Alliance and they controlled the region. They weren't people who were just fighting for their independence; they were a guerilla army of terrorists and fanatics that do anything to achieve their goals, including terrorist attacks against civilians.

The man that had given them the data, Kassad was there, speaking to the camera. _"Today, the Eurasian Liberation Army has freed the city of Gulnahan from the clutches of the fascist Earth Alliance. From here, we shall launch our righteous crusade to liberate the rest of the lands that they have stolen from us! Never again shall they control what is rightfully ours!"_

"No…" Athrun uttered, realizing that the resistance group they had helped wasn't what they said they were. "This group… They're not a resistance group, they're a terrorist group!"

"I know," Yzak said, disgusted at what they had inadvertently done. "We were played."

"_We must also thank you, soldiers of ZAFT, aiding us in crushing the backs of these Alliance bastards and their dogs. Because of you-"_

Athrun cut off the transmission, already sick of what he was hearing.

"The Ruddle Team will stay behind and try to help the civilians and prevent the ELA from doing anything to them," Yzak explained. "The Captain's ordered us back to the ship."

"Do the others know?"

"No. I was going to tell them during the debriefing tonight," he replied. "It was a success. They deserve to celebrate for a few hours."

Athrun nodded. "I agree." He turned his attention to Shinn and the party below him. "Shinn!" he called out, using the Savior's external speakers. "The Captain's calling us back."

* * *

A Cave

Several Miles from Gulnahan

Later That Night

The Wolfpack Team had escaped the battle with no casualties and only minimal damage to their mobile suits. However, they would need to recharge their machines before they make the trip to Suez. Fortunately, the Alliance had prepared in case the Lohengrin Gate was lost, placing a few hidden supply depots in the region for stranded mobile suit squads. By tomorrow morning, they would be ready to leave. And it would also allow Nero to contact his superior, the overall commanding officer of the Wolfpack Team.

"Major Ryker," he said, saluting the monitor. "I assume that you've already heard that Gulnahan has fallen to ZAFT and the ELA. We were going to withdraw for Suez once our machines are fully charged up."

"_Yes,"_ she replied. _"I know that Gulnahan has been lost, but you will not be heading to Suez. Command has other plans for you than fighting in a hopeless battle."_

"Then Suez is lost?"

"_It will be when ZAFT strikes. But it will only be a minor setback in the greater scheme of things. We're preparing a major offensive against ZAFT forces, both on Earth and in space,"_ she explained. _"The Wolfpack will be needed in future battles here on Earth. Especially if Phantom Pain continues to disappoint. Perhaps you'll even have another shot against the Minerva and the White Devil. I assume you want payback, of course."_

"Yes, ma'am. We would like that."

"_Good. I'm sending you a series of coordinates. One of our new Hannibal-class land battleships is waiting there for you for the next forty-eight hours. Once you reach it, you'll receive future orders. Until then."_ Major Serena Ryker saluted and killed the line.

He knew all about the Major's public face, and to be honest, he didn't care. He left politics for the Brass and politicians. Nero was a soldier through and through. Tell him who and where his enemy was, and he'd fight. Politics was just a big headache.

"Hey Nero, we got a problem here!" Orion called out from the entrance of the cave the depot was hidden in.

"What is it?" he asked as he walked towards.

"This girl wandered into here. What do we do about her?" Orion answered as he reached the rest of his teammates.

The girl in question was a local, a young one at that. Definitely under sixteen by Nero's guess. She had bluish-green eyes and brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Her face held a look of fear and worry. "Please! Do any of you know where my brother is?" she pleaded, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "His name is Mohinder Almeta."

Nero knew who this girl was now. Though he never met her, he knew who she was. Coniel Almeta. "How did you get here?" he asked.

"My brother told me about several fallback positions you had in the mountains and that if something should happen to the base, I was to come here. So I took his truck as soon as those terrorists began to attack the town," she answered. "Please, do you know where he is?"

Nero let out a weary sigh. "I'm sorry… He's dead. The White Devil killed him."

Coniel began to frantically shake his head as tears started rolling down his cheeks. "No…No! You're lying! He's not dead! He can't be dead!!" she screamed, beating her fists on Nero's chest.

Nero grabbed her arms, stopping her from hitting him. "I'm sorry. I saw his death with my own eyes. He's gone."

Coniel completely broke down, crying for her dead brother.

* * *

The Next Morning

"Sir, the machines are fully charged up and ready to go."

Nero, standing at the cave entrance, looked away from the rising sun. "Thank you Leon." He turned to the rest of his team. "It's time to leave."

"What about her?" Orion asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl.

Coniel had cried herself to sleep late last night and was still asleep. "She's staying."

"No," Coniel suddenly called out, sitting up from the sleeping bag they had put her in after she fell asleep. "Take me with you."

"No. We can't," Nero said. "Go home."

Coniel shook her head. "I have nothing to go back to. My brother was the only one I had left and if the ELA finds out that my brother was soldier, they'll shoot me. …If I'm lucky. Take me with you. I want to fight."

Nero could tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Plus, she was right about the ELA. They were brutal to those they perceived as enemies and the sister of an Alliance soldier was one such person. "Fine," he said. "We'll take you with us. But you'll be dropped off at a safer town. You're too young to fight. One day you'll be old enough, but not today."

* * *

You know, it's surprising just how much this has change since my original version, way back when I was still working on SEED. But the core of it stayed the same. There's ways one thing I've found annoying I all the Gundam series I've watched. Whenever the good guys help a rebel group, the rebel group is always in the right. There's ones were ones where the good guys are tricked into helping the wrong side. Then later on, when I began to develop Legacy's plot and the characters, I was drawn back to idea and decided completely to use it. As some of you have undoubtedly guessed from Nero's words, Coniel will return for Legacy, older and ready to fight.

One of the more recent changes that I absolutely loved was Mohinder. In Gundam series, we see grunt mobile suits getting shot down in the hundreds just like that with no real reaction. He was my nod to all the grunt pilots, cannon fodder, red shirts or whatever you want to call them out there.

As always, review! It makes me write faster!


	21. Phase Nineteen: The Hidden Truth

Man… I am on a roll here. The third chapter posted in less than a week! I don't know how long this will last, but I'm gonna ride it for as long as I can. Hoping to get a fourth one done before the end of Saturday.

Not much else to say. I loved the reactions I've gotten from the last chapter. It was certainly a favorite of mine.

**Phase Nineteen: The Hidden Truth **

ZAFT Diocuia Base

"So this is Diocuia. What a beautiful city," Arthur commented as he and Talia disembarked from the Minerva. "How long as it been since we've been to a place this nice? It seems like it's been forever."

Diocuia had been conquered by ZAFT during the last and then returned after the war, its base converted into a new, larger civilian port. But now, Diocuia, along with several other nearby towns, had broken away from the Earth Alliance, asking for ZAFT protection. Chairman Durandal had accepted their request and the former Diocuia Base was now once again functioning as it was originally built for.

"Yes, it has been awhile since we've seen anything but bases, oceans and mountains. But after what happened in Gulnahan, we could all use a break," Talia said.

It had been four days since the attack on the Lohengrin Gate, and morale had been at an all time low. Finding that they had helped a terrorist group had been a bit blow to all of them, especially the pilots. Of course, things in Gulnahan had gotten worse the day the attack, ending with the Eurasian Liberation Army setting off bombs in the energy plant. The damage was severe and it could no longer generate power, blacking out much of the surrounding region and plunging it into chaos. Hopefully, some R&R would help them out and improve morale among the crew.

"Hello… What do we have here?" Talia said, stopping on stairs, looking out at the gathering in the base yard.

It was a Lacus Clyne concert that was starting. There was a large crowd of ZAFT personnel that had gathered at the stage while a crowd of curious civilians had begun to gather outside the base. The band started to play, but there was no sign of Lacus herself.

"_Hello everyone! It's me, Lacus!"_ Suddenly, a pink ZAKU appeared over the base, being held aloft by two other machines. While they were similar to ZAKUs, they were clearly different machines. And in the ZAKUs hands, was Lacus Clyne. The ZAFT crowd cheered as Lacus began to sing.

_In this quiet night_

_I'm waiting for you_

_Forgetting the past_

_And dreaming of you_

The two mobile suits gently placed the ZAKU onto the stage and then moved away as Lacus continued her performance on the ZAKU's hands, which began to move as she danced, showing incredible grace and balance.

_Time passes by_

_And memories fade_

_But time can't erase_

_The love that we've made_

Nearby, the two GOUFs landed with some of the other mobile suits and powered down, their pilots climbed out of their machines. "A waste of a perfectly good ZAKU and our time," Dante commented as he and Heine watched a bit of the concert. "Ah well, the Chairman's landing. We better go pay our respects."

Elsewhere, the most of the Minerva's crew, especially its younger crew members, had disembarked and were now mingling with the crowd.

"Damn… And to thing, that's wasted on Athrun," an envious Saul said.

"I thought you had a girlfriend," Nicol replied.

"So? I can still look and dream. That girl may be a fake, but damn…she's hot."

"Naomi's going to flay you alive if she finds out you said that."

"You won't tell her. I know you."

"True. But that doesn't mean that someone else won't."

Nearby, Athrun stood at the back of the crowd with Luna and her sister, Meyrin, watching the show. "Did you know she was going to be here?" Luna asked.

"Ah…Well, no," Athrun answered, trying to sound like he cared for her.

"Well it's not like you have the luxury to keep in touch 24/7," Luna replied. "You're both busy people."

"Yeah…Something like that."

At that moment, a person ran past them, bumping into Meyrin, knocking her into Athrun. On reaction, she grabbed onto Athrun. "I'm so sorry," she said, her cheeks reddening as she held onto him. "Someone just bumped into me."

Luna scowled at her sister for such a lame and obvious attempt to get close to Athrun. But if it was a genuine accident or not, didn't register to Athrun. "We're kind of in the way here. Let's move over here," he said, draping an arm around and guided her to a warehouse wall, obvious to Luna's annoyed expression.

Among the civilian crowds watching the concert was a young photojournalist. Miriallia Haw scanned the concert with her camera, taking pictures of 'Lacus', as well as Chairman Durandal, who was speaking with several ZAFT officers. Unfortunately, their backs were to her, preventing Miriallia from getting their faces. Nevertheless, she continued searching the ZAFT crowd, looking for anything of interest. That's when she saw him.

Dearka.

While their break up had been civil, it still hurt. Dearka wanted to stay in the PLANTs while she wanted to stay in Orb. Neither of them had been willing to back down and long-distance relationships just didn't work. Things fell apart and they went their separate ways. But part of her…

_Follow the stars_

_That lead into the quiet night…_

The crowd was cheering as Lacus finished her first song. Someone threw her a bouquet of flowers. "Oh thank you everyone! It just fills me with happiness to see all of you today! To all of you courageous ZAFT soldiers, you've worked for peace and I want to thank you for that, and thank you to the people of Diocuia! I pray that this war ends soon! So let's all stay united and work together until that day comes!"

Suddenly, Meer felt something strike her stomach. Someone screamed, but it wasn't a scream of a fan cheering her on, it was a scream of terror. More cries and screams filled the air. Meer looked down. Red liquid was staining her dress. '_What…Have I been shot? It doesn't really hurt…'_

But before she could do anything, she was hit twice more. This time, blue and green was added to the red on her dress.

"Yeah! Take that ZAFT whore!" someone shouted from the civilian crowd.

"That's for all those lost at Gulnahan and the Indian Ocean!" another civilian yelled.

"Down with Durandal and his butchers! Down with the White Devil and down with the Pink Whore!"

"How dare you!" another one shouted. "Lacus Clyne is not a whore!"

"Yeah! If you hate ZAFT, go crawling back to the Alliance!"

Suddenly, someone threw a rock at one of the anti-ZAFT people. "You bastard!" a man roared, diving at the rockthrower and hitting him.

Then all hell broke out among the civilians.

* * *

Treize grinned as he lowered his modified rifle, looking down at the fighting from his rooftop vantage point. It annoyed him that he was using only paintball rounds rather than real ammo. But the Captain had told him not to kill Durandal's pink little whore, something about it being better to humiliate her and Durandal that killing them, at the moment anyway. Though, it was amusing to see those stupid Patchworkers running around like a freshly decapitated chicken as those traitors fought amongst themselves.

He quickly disassembled his rifle, putting it back into a suitcase, and heading towards the stairs. While his face was expressionless, internally, he was excited. The Minerva was docked in the city. That white machine was so very close…

Soon, he would battle with that 'White Devil' again before he destroyed it once and for all.

* * *

A block away from the base, a group of teens gathered a pair of convertibles. Extended pilots of Phantom Pain, minus their leader and his little 'sister'. "Heh… Look at them," Sting said. "It didn't take much to get them fighting."

"Yeah," Auel said, nodding his head. "A few shoots from Treize, some choice words for that pink bimbo and they're ready to kill each other."

"Well, what do you expect from those idiots. They abandoned the Alliance and crawled over to the Patchworkers," Reccoa added, her voice filled with contempt, wearing tan pants and a blue sleeveless shirt.

Gyunei grunted. He wore blue jeans, a red t-shirt and a black, sleeveless vest. "Why do you care about these people? They're worms crawling around vermin. Why are we even bothering with this? We just burn this place to the ground."

"It's what the higher ups want," Sting replied. "So we do what they want. Besides, we can't really complain after the losses we've had."

"Hey! We didn't lose to them!" Auel shot back.

"But we didn't win either and for us that's the same as losing. We're Phantom Pain, losing is unacceptable."

"Anyone know where Maia went?" Rezin asked, looking for their youngest member. She also wore blue jeans and a dark green hoodie. "Neo will get angry if we leave her behind."

"She's over there," Auel replied, flicking a finger over his shoulder.

There she was, wearing a simple light blue dress and white sandals, playing a purple ball. Rezin shook her head. "That figures," she muttered. "Whenever she isn't piloting or fighting, she's playing like a child."

"What do you expect? She's crazy!" Gyunei said.

"Perhaps, but she's still strong as hell." Rezin turned to the girl and call out, "Hey Maia! We're going!"

"Kay!" she called back, running towards the group, showing them what the ball was…

"Hey! Haro!" the robot chirped.

"Hey? What is that and where'd you get that?" Sting asked.

"Some ZAFT guys handing them out to people."

"A ZAFT guy?!" Rezin exclaimed. "That's a Coordinator toy! Why did you take it?!"

"Because I like it," Maia answered, not really paying attention to them. "Isn't he cute?"

"Haro!"

Sting rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You know Treize will probably smash that thing when he sees it, right?"

"Haro! Uh oh! Haro!"

"Hell, I may end up smashing that annoying thing be he finds out," he added.

Maia pulled the Haro close, shielding it from them. "He just needs a few tweaks, and then he'll be perfect."

"If you say so."

* * *

Later That Day

The concert had been a mess, but thankfully, number of ZAFT soldiers stepped in, attempting to hold back the potential riot until the local police arrived and managed to stop it without any loss of life. But still it had been a mess.

"Well, this has certainly been one hell of a way to kick off some R&R," Saul commented to his fellow pilots.

All of the Minerva's pilots, save for Rey, were in the back of limo, heading for the largest hotel in Diocuia to meet with Chairman Durandal.

"Well, at least we're getting R&R this time around," Dearka replied. "The closest thing I got to a day off in the last war was the time I spent in the Archangel's brig."

"Not Nicol, Athrun and me. After you, Scarface and that prick got stuck on Earth, we got some time off."

"That prick?" Luna asked.

"This total nutjob that was assigned to our team. He was…well…crazy. Fortunately, he didn't appear to survive Jachin Due," Saul answered. "One small plus to the outcome of that bloody battle."

"Hey, come on. It's not nice to speak ill of the dead," Nicol said.

Saul shrugged. "I'm not shedding any tears over him, are you?"

"No."

"Cause he doesn't deserve it. He was a psycho, just like that other psycho-"

"Enough," Yzak said, growing annoyed. "We're here."

The limo pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel and they all climbed out of the vehicle. A member of the hotel staff was there waiting for them. Around the hotel, were a number of ZAFT mobile suits, some standing guard over the building the ZAFT Chairman was in, others parked, their pilots staying inside the hotel. Among two of the parked ones, were those two new models they had seen briefly at the concert. But now they could study them in greater detail. The first one was painted dark orange and black on the chest and shield while its limbs and head were painted a lighter shade of orange. The other machine…

"Wow… Now doesn't that remind you of someone," Saul commented as they walked to the main entrance. "Maybe that prick did survive after all."

The second machine's body and shield was black and dark blood red, its head, arms and legs were, like the other one, painted in a lighter red. However, on the shield and on the two front plates of its skirt armor, were black birds, ravens.

"I don't think it's him," Dearka replied. "A ZAKU Phantom, painted in those colors, saved my hide during the opening battle of the war. I doubt he would have done that."

Saul shrugged. "Yeah. You're right. That psycho won't have saved you. Hell, he probably would have attack _and_ the Alliance guy that was attacking you."

"Hello," the hotel staff member said, giving them a bow. "Chairman Durandal is waiting for you. If you'd all follow me, it's right this way."

The man led them into the hotel and to an elevator. After getting off on the fifth floor, he led out to a patio on part of the hotel's roof. There, sitting at a large table, was Chairman Durandal, Captain Gladys and Rey. The arriving pilot snapped to attention as the Chairman rose from his seat to greet them.

"Ah, Athrun!" Durandal greeted as he approached the group. "It's good to see you again."

"You as well Chairman."

Durandal then turned to Suiren. "And Suiren, it's been far too long."

Suiren nodded her head. "Sir.

"And Tristan Palleon. How are you parents?"

"They're fine sir. Still angry that I joined the military, but otherwise fine."

Durandal then turned to Tristan's fellow Green Coat. "Gekido. I'm happy that you've found yourself a name and a path."

Gekido bowed his head, ignoring the questioning looks the Captain and all the other pilots were giving him. "Chairman."

Then the Chairman turned his attention to Yzak, Nicol, Dearka and Saul. "Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsman, Saul Kessel, and Nicol Amalfi. It is a pleasure to finally meet you all. We all owe you debt of gratitude for what you all did in the last war."

"Thanks sir," Nicol replied. "But we didn't really do anything that special."

"Nonsense. You helped end the last war and defended the PLANTs from the Alliance's nuclear missiles." Finally, Durandal turned to the two remaining pilot. "And last but certainly not least, Shinn Asuka and Lunamaria Hawke." Durandal stepped back from the group. "I've heard great things about all of you. You should be proud of yourself. Please sit down."

They all sat down at the table. Rey, Luna Shinn, Athrun, Tristan and Gekido on one side, Nicol, Talia, Durandal, Yzak, Dearka and Saul on the other. "What you accomplished at the Lohengrin Gate was impressive," Durandal continued. "But I am sorry that we were all deceived by those…terrorists. Rest assured that I have assigned several teams to conduct peacekeeping operations in the Gulnahan area for the time being. Hopefully we'll be able to drive the ELA out and repair the Gulnahan energy plant."

"Thank you Chairman," Athrun said on behalf of everyone.

"And to think, for some of you, your first engagement was at Armory One," the Chairman added. "I like to think that you older pilots helped inspire and encouraged the younger pilots."

"I don't know about that," Yzak replied. "They were already pretty good. They just needed some experience, and discipline for some."

"Regardless, this great city was liberated in no small part because you managed to take out that enemy emplacement. I'm proud of each and every one of you."

"Thank you Chairman," Luna said, in awe being praised by the leader of the PLANTs.

"In any case, the whole world is in a state of turmoil right now," Durandal said, changing the subject onto more serious matters.

"Have there been any new developments in space?" Talia asked, interested how the war was going as a whole. "What about the Earth Forces on the Moon?"

"Nothing was changed. There have been minor skirmishes, but nothing serious. And has far as the Earth is concerned, I'm in the dark here as well. So many variables." Durandal commented. "Like here, there are other areas that want to fight the Alliance and have asked for our help, while others that had supported us during the last war, have joined the Alliance and wish to defeat us now. Of course, you saw what happened today, it's like that all over the planet. People are becoming more and more divided on the war."

Talia nodded. Things were becoming messy on Earth. "Has there been any progress towards a ceasefire or ending the war?"

"Unfortunately, no. The Alliance is unwilling to compromise on anything."

"Well, maybe you should step down and let Defense Committee Chairman Kessel take over," Yzak commented. Everyone turned to him, staring at him in surprise while Yzak calmly sipped his tea. "The Alliance has been claiming that you were a part of Break the World from the beginning and they haven't stopped. If you stepped down and ZAFT offers works with the Earth Alliance completely to track down who was involved in Break the World, and the Alliance didn't go back to the negotiating table, the people of Earth would start to wonder why the hell they're still fighting when ZAFT is offering to work with them to root out those bastards."

"If I was a hundred percent sure that it would ended the fighting, I would step down. But after the destruction of Solomon with nuclear missiles, I fear that the Alliance is just waiting for us to lower our guard." A weary Durandal answered. "Perhaps I shouldn't be saying this to a group of fine, upstanding soldiers like yourselves, but ending a war, choosing a path that doesn't involve fighting, is much harder than deciding to go to war."

"Yes, but-" Shinn started, but paused, unsure he should say it to the Chairman. "Sorry."

"No. Go right ahead. If you have something on your mind, please, don't hesitate to share it with me. I want to hear what those who are fighting on the frontline have to say."

"I definitely think it's important to avoid fighting whenever we can, but if the enemy is threatening us, than we have no other choice but to defend ourselves. If we don't fight when there's an obvious need, then we won't be able to protect anything. Not even ourselves," he said, expressing his beliefs. "Innocent people, who want to have normal, peaceful lives, _should_ be protected."

"But there's a problem with that," Athrun replied. "Someone once asked me, if someone is killed for vengeance, and then killed for being a killer, how will that we ever find peace? When I was first asked that question, I was unable to come up with an answer, and I'm still at a loss. That's one of the reasons I'm back here, back on the battlefield."

Durandal stared at Athrun for a moment before standing up and walking over to the balcony. "Yes… That is the essential problem. Why do we keep fighting if there is no end in sight? Why don't wars ever go away? Throughout history, people have cried out how much they hate war and the pain it brings." He turned from the balcony to Shinn. "What are your thoughts on this Shinn?"

Shinn was momentarily caught off-guard, but he quickly replied. "I think that it's because throughout history, there have always been stupid, selfish people. Like Blus Cosmos and the Atlantic Federation." Again he paused, unsure of his answer. "Am I wrong?"

"No. It's quite true. I assure you, there are many people like that," Durandal replied. "They want what others have. They hate and fear and despise those who are different. People continue to fight each other for reasons like these. However, war has another side. A more hopeless and unforgivable side to it. More merciless." Everyone stared at the Chairman, unsure of what he was talking about. Durandal turned away from them, facing the two new mobile suits parked nearby. "For example, take those two machines over there. The ZGMF-X2000 GOUF Ignited. These particular machines were rolled out of a military factory a few days ago. Since we're in the middle of a war, new models like these are manufactured one after another. On a battlefield, missiles are fired, mobile suits blow up and countless things are destroyed. In the meantime, factories are continuous producing new machines and missiles. The battlefield is flooded from both sides. Demand is so high that the production lines actually have difficulty keeping up. Now think of what it costs to produce one single machine. If you think of it as a business, no other venture provides that much turn over while simultaneously pulling in enormous profits."

Talia didn't like where this was going. Her instincts told her that there was something wrong. But what that something was, she couldn't say. "Chairman, should we be discussing this?"

Others were more obvious with their feelings. "Sir, this is disturbing," Shinn said, his voice laced with discomfort.

Yzak studied the Chairman for a moment. "You're referring to the Military-Industrial Complex, aren't you?" he asked.

Durandal glanced at Shinn, then at Yzak. "You're quite right, both of you. It is the Military-Industrial Complex, and it can be quite disturbing. But it's a necessary part of conducting a war. I cannot be helped," he explained. "However, it warps people. They learn to think differently if it involves a profit. This also cannot be helped."

"They think differently?" a confused Shinn asked. But for others, they already knew the answer.

"When a war ends, there's no longer a need for weapons. Profits dry up. But what if there was another war? Then profits would be guaranteed. Therefore, there are some people who desire war. They want it more than anything else."

"That's sick!" Shinn exclaimed.

"They're enemies. They're dangerous," Durandal continued. "Fight them. They attacked us. Never forgive. Fight them. Throughout human history, there have always been those who urge people to war, thinking of it as a business and a chance to manufacture more weapons. And all for their own profit. If we look in the shadows of this war, than I have no doubt that we'll find LOGOS is behind it. Since it was they who created Blue Cosmos."

Everyone had questioning looks for the leader of ZAFT. None of them had ever heard of LOGOS, much less knew it was connected to the infamous Blue Cosmos.

"LOGOS? What's LOGOS?" Nicol asked, wondering what everyone else was. "And I thought Blue Cosmos started out as an environmental activist group before becoming the anti-Coordinator group they are today."

"What I meant was, they were the ones that turned Blue Cosmos into the group we know today," Durandal explained. "As to what LOGOS is, they are the source of all our difficulties. As long as we're all dancing to their tune, the PLANTs and the Earth will never see an end to the fighting. If at all possible, I'm going to change all that." He turned to the city of Diocuia, watching the setting sun. "But this task before us is truly the most difficult one imaginable."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, contemplating what Durandal had said. Was there truly an organization that existed in the shadows, stoking the fires of war, turning people against each other for their own profit? And if LOGOS existed, how would one defeat such an organization.

"Excuse me Chairman, while at Mahamul, I heard of a FAITH member named Dante, but Commandant Ruddle couldn't remember his first name. I was wondering if…"

Athrun had tried to dig up some information on this Commander Dante, but the files on FAITH members were restricted outside of the PLANTs. Even to other FAITH members. When he learned that the Chairman had requested a meeting with the pilots of the Minerva, Athrun saw it as his chance to ask the one would know without a doubt who Dante was.

"I would tell you his name? Certainly. In fact, the man in question is here, in Diocuia. The red GOUF behind me is his machine. His name is Christopher Dante."

Athrun, Dearka, Saul and Nicol all stared at the Chairman, eyes wide in shock. "What?! Where is he?" Athrun nearly shouted at the Chairman.

Durandal shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure. He's somewhere around city. I suspect that you'll run into him before you leave."

"Could he really have survived?" Nicol asked.

Dearka shook his head. "It can't be him."

"Yeah. If he survived, would have gotten in touch with everyone some time after the battle," Saul added.

"Ah, excuse me, who is this Christopher Dante?" Shinn asked.

The four veterans frowned for a moment. "Do you remember the seven mobile suits built at Heliopolis?" Nicol asked.

"Yeah. They were the Duel, the Buster, the Surge, the Blitz, and the Aegis, which the five of you piloted," Luna said, counting off on her fingers. "Then there was the two that remained with the Archangel, the Strike and the Raven."

"Well, the pilot of the Raven was a civilian of Heliopolis, Chris Dante. But he was shot down at Jachin Due, shielding the Freedom," Nicol explained. "We always thought he died there. But maybe…"

"Chairman, what can you tell us about his past?" Athrun asked, hoping that somehow it was the same person.

"I'm sorry. But he asked for privacy regarding his past. I cannot tell you."

* * *

Suddenly, Dante loudly sneezed. "Someone must be talking about you," Heine commented as Dante wiped his nose.

"I don't believe in that superstition," he retorted.

* * *

After that, Durandal ended the meeting. He had other matters that he needed to attend to. Fortunately, he offered a night in the hotel for the pilots, most of whom were eager to spend the night in accommodations better than what they had on the Minerva. Though both Rey and Suiren had declined the offer, choosing instead to stay aboard the ship.

"Oh man… I think I'm gonna spend an hour just soaking in the tub. Then I'm gonna get me some room service," Saul said, already of tonight. "I wonder if they have a masseuse on hand."

"We're guesses of the Chairman. Don't ruin things by running up a huge bill for him," Yzak said, shaking his head.

"Oh come on. Loosen up a little, Scarface. We got some R&R, so let's enjoy it."

"Athrun!" a voice called out, stopping the group.

It was Lacus Clyne, wearing the same revealing dress as before, though it was obviously a spare as the one from the concert was stained and ruined. Before anyone could say anything, she was on Athrun, hugging him tightly while everyone else watched, with Luna glaring at the pink haired singer. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Ah…Lacus…I…"

"Guess what! The Chairman just told me that he's buying dinner for us at the best restaurant in Diocuia!" Lacus excitedly and cheerfully said. "But he wants to speak with you in private first."

"I…Er…" Athrun looked back at Yzak and his old friends, almost pleading for some excuse to get out of this dinner.

"Well, you heard her Athrun," Yzak smugly said, pushing Athrun forward. "You better hurry and see what the Chairman wants, so you and your wife to be can get to your evening together."

With that, Lacus grabbed Athrun's arm, half guiding, half dragging Athrun to here Durandal was.

"Damn… Athrun's so lucky. I'd do her," Saul said as soon as the pair were out of earshot.

The remaining pilots looked at him in bewilderment, and for some, embarrassment. "Oh don't give me that look. Deep down, you guys are thinking the same thing," he replied. "I'm just not afraid or embarrassed to say it."

* * *

Meer had taken Athrun to an empty courtyard in the hotel where the Chairman was waiting. Undoubtedly, the Chairman wanted to take about the Archangel. Though Athrun wondered why he didn't ask for Nicol and the others as well. They still had some loose ties to the ship. Of course, if he didn't know anything, it was doubtful that they did.

Meer sat down on a bench, her red Haro bouncing around next to her. "It's about the Archangel," the Chairman of ZAFT said, confirming what Athrun suspected. "I'm sure you've heard the news."

Athrun nodded. "Yes sir."

"I've been wondering where that ship went to after it left Orb. Would you by any chance, have information on its whereabouts?" he asked.

"No sir," Athrun answered. "It's been on my mind ever since I heard about it, but I don't know anything about where they went either. To tell the truth, I was thinking of asking you if you had any new about the ship."

"I see…" Durandal said, a brief look of disappointment on his face. "I asked because if the Archangel and the Freedom left Orb, than possibly the real Lacus Clyne is with them."

Unseen by both of them, Meer frowned at Durandal's words, knowing that if Lacus came back, she would have to stop being her. "Yes sir. I don't think there's any doubt about that," Athrun replied. "Kira wouldn't…ah…the ship wouldn't leave her. Lacus is definitely on board the Archangel."

"Given the crisis, I had hoped that she would have returned to her home in the PLANTs. That's why I've been searching for her. Do you suppose that she's gotten tired of us, the way we keep doing things over and over again?"

Durandal's words caught Athrun off-guard. Lacus wouldn't do that. She cared about everyone, from those in the PLANTs to those on Earth. She would never abandon them. "Well, sorry to bother you," the Chairman continued. "But if you do learn anything about where the Archangel is, please, I'd like you to tell me."

"Of course."

Durandal bowed his head. "Thank you Athrun. Until we meet again. Good bye." He turned to Meer. "And good bye to you too, Lacus."

"Good bye Chairman Durandal," Meer called back to the Chairman as he started to walk away.

"Ah Chairman!" Athrun said, stopping Durandal.

"Yes?"

"If you hear anything about the Archangel, would you please tell me?"

"Yes, of course."

* * *

The Following Morning

Athrun yawned as he slowly sat up from his bed. His arm brushed up against something on the bed next to him. There was a large lumped underneath the blankets next to him. Athrun pulled the blankets off the lump, revealing Meer, sleeping and wearing a pink see-through nighty over her underwear. Athrun yelped in surprise as he tried to move away from the girl but fell off the bed, hitting the ground with a loud thud. This woke up Meer. Unfortunately, fate seemed to hate Athrun as at that very moment, Lunamaria knocked at his door. "Athrun. Are you up? I was going to head down to the dining hall and was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

"Ah… Just a minute!" he called back, frantically looking for his pants.

Meer, annoyed at Luna for disturbing them, and potentially trying to get close to _her_ Athrun, (okay, technically he was Lacus's, but until the real Lacus returned, she was Lacus) climbed out of bed and opened the door, revealing to Luna her scantily self and Athrun, who had at that moment, gotten his pants only halfway up. Luna was utterly speechless as her cheeks began to redden. "Oh thank you, but please, feel free to go on ahead without us. Athrun and I will be heading down to the dining hall shortly," Meer said to the girl in fake cheerfulness.

Before Luna could say anything, Meer slammed the door in her face and walked back into the rest of the room.

Needless to say, this whole situation had given Athrun a big headache. "What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Well I was just talking to that girl," Meer innocently replied.

"Forget that girl! I'm talking about this!" Athrun paused, mentally berating himself for yelling as hotel rooms had notoriously thin walls. "Why are you in my room?"

"I told the front desk that I was supposed to visit you but when I arrived, you had already fallen asleep," Meer explained.

"I don't really care about the how, I want to know _why_."

"Why? Isn't it normal for a couple that's engaged and hasn't seen each other for a long time to do this?"

"But Lacus… Lacus would never do this!"

"She wouldn't? Why not?" she asked, clearly confused.

Athrun couldn't believe this girl. For someone who claimed to be Lacus's biggest fan, she knew nothing about Lacus herself. She was just a naïve airhead. It was a mean, but it was true. This girl had no real inkling of the real Lacus Clyne and what she was like. It was like a fangirl playing dress up. Athrun just sighed and shook his head. Part of him really wished that his father had publicly cancelled their engagement after Lacus helped Kira steal the Freedom. It would have made things so much easier for him.

But there wasn't much he could do accept bare it and pray that she would leave soon for some concert or public appearance.

A short while later, after they were both fully dressed, the two headed down to the dining hall. Meer had insisted that they travel hand in hand, as they were 'engaged' and was regaling Athrun with stories from her time traveling across the PLANTs and performing for the people. Athrun was barely listening, he was just nodding his head periodically and saying things like 'Yes' and 'I imagine' to give the appearance that he was listening to her completely.

"Oh… There's Mister Westenfluss and Commander Dante," Meer said, pointing at one table. "They both…"

The rest of her words were lost entirely on Athrun as he turned to table she pointed at. There were two men sitting there. An orange hair young man wearing a Red Coat uniform with a FAITH badge while who had his back to Athrun was dark haired and had a White Coat uniform. Athrun pull away from Meer, approaching the two. "Excuse me," he said, interrupting the Red Coat. "I was…"

He froze, seeing the White Coat's face. "Hello Athrun. It's quite awhile," he said.

"You… I…I-I… But…but how… How are you still alive?"

He didn't answer. Athrun grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the table, startling everyone. "Answer me dammit!! How the hell are you still alive, Zane Scirocco?!"

* * *

Now, I have to ask, how many were hoping or wanted it to be, not knew or suspected that, it was Chris? I'm just curious. While I said he was dead, I _might _bring him back if there's a big enough response from you, my fans. I have thought up more than a few ways to bring him back, if the demand was high enough. And any of them can currently be used. For the time being. So if you want Chris to return, speak up.

Now as for Yzak's lack of reaction to the talk of Chris being alive, that's because they never really met face to face, unlike the other members of the Le Creuset Team. So there was no bond of friendship between the two of them.

Also, if any of you are wondering, Maia's Haro will indeed be like the bad Haro of 00. That was only Haro, in all the Gundam series, that I actually liked. So I made a spur of the moment decision to throw it into Destiny.

You all know this by know, but I'm saying it anyway. Review!


	22. Phase Twenty: Wandering Eyes

Yo everybody! I've reached 300 reviews!!! (Cheers for a moment) Never did I think that any one story of mine would reach 300 reviews. I want to take a moment to thank all my fans, from those who have been with me since the first chapters of SEED to my newest fans. This chapter is for all of you.

The reviews have been quite amusing as well. While I haven't been surprised by the 'bring back Chris' response, the small minority of 'keep him dead' was surprising to see. Also, I've gotten some entertaining suggestions, including one that has got me thinking of SEED/00 x-over idea, though I doubt I'll ever get around to writing. But again, if anyone's looking for a story idea, I got that and plenty more for those that are interested.

**Phase Twenty: Wandering Eyes**

"Please Athrun. Is this any way to behave? You're making a scene," Zane commented as everyone started at the two of them.

"Answer me!" Athrun demanded, glaring at his former teammate and fellow FAITH member.

"Let me go and I will answer you."

Athrun let go of Zane and took a step back, letting him get up. Zane stood up and brushed himself off. "Thank-"

_WHAM!!!_

Zane fell backwards on the table. The young man sitting with him, shot up, along with four other Red Coats sitting at the table next to them. "Commander!" the orange haired FAITH agent said.

"Athrun!" Meer screamed, horrified at what was happening.

Luna and Shinn both shot up from their table, looking like they wanted to step, but were unsure with it being between two FAITH members. The five Red Coats, on the other hand, looked ready to jump him, but Zane raised his hand. "It's alright. And I deserved that." He stood up. "Come on Athrun, is that the best you got?"

_WHAM!!!_

Zane stumbled back, leaning against the table. His lip was bleeding. "Enough with the love taps Athrun. Hit me already!"

_WHAM!!!_

Zane fell back on the table. "Better. Is that it?" he asked, looking up at Athrun, blood dripping down his nose and lip. Athrun was done slapping him around. He wanted answers. Zane stood up. "Now unless someone else want to strike me-"

_WHAM!!!_

Yet again, Zane collapsed onto the table. Athrun turned to the source of the blow. It was Yzak. But he wasn't alone. Nicol, Dearka and Saul were with him. None of them looked particularly pleased.

"Yzak, Nicol, Dearka, and Saul," Zane commented, rubbing his jaw as he stood up. "Well, it looks like have a full reunion here. How have you all been?"

"How are you still alive?" Athrun asked. "And why the hell are you using his name?!"

"You act like I've taken something precious from you. Let me asked this, how well did you know him? Do you know who his first crush was? Do you know who his friends were at Junius Seven? Did you even know when his birthday was?" Athrun didn't answer. In all honestly, he knew none of that. "I did. He was my oldest friend."

"That doesn't give you the right to make a mockery of his memory!" Athrun angrily retorted.

"How have I made a mockery of his memory? By taking his name? Hardly a mockery of him."

Athrun was about ready to punch him again, but he managed to restrain himself. "Explain. Now!"

"Not here. We've made enough of a scene. I'll explain in private. Just you and I."

"You think we're about to let him go anywhere with you alone?" Dearka replied.

"Really now, Dearka. I saved your life when this war started and you aren't even will to make gesture of trust." Zane shrugged, turning away from them. "Ah well… Guess you won't get anything from me."

Athrun glared at him. "Fine. I'll go with you."

"Good. Follow me then," Zane replied, already heading towards the exit of the dining hall.

Athrun followed after him, ready for anything. He didn't trust Rau Le Creuset's protégée. Athrun knew just how dangerous he was.

As they walked, they passed a janitor's cart. Zane grabbed an Out of Order sign from it and entered a Men's washroom, slapping the sign on the door as Athrun followed. Inside the washroom, Zane walked up to a sink, turning the facet as Athrun stood behind him.

"I'm sure that you're aware of my final battle with Chris at Jachin Due. Despite having a new and superior mobile suit, he defeated me," Zane said as he began cleaning himself off. "I was at his mercy and yet, he spared me. I screamed, ranted and threatened him, but just left me there, floating in space. Without the focus of battle to distract me, my new… _awareness_ overwhelmed me as the battle raged on. Feeling the fear, anger, hatred, and deaths of countless individuals was too much. It broke me, and all that Creuset had poured into me, poured out. Like water through the cracks in a broken glass."

Athrun took what he said with a grain of salt. He _could_ be speaking the truth, but it was just as likely that he was lying. This 'awareness' he claimed to have sounded vague and far-fetched. Kira claimed that he something similar, but Athrun always found it hard to believe.

"After the battle, I just couldn't function anymore. I was…empty, without purpose, racked with endless guilt and pain. I left ZAFT and PLANTs, seeking to confront the only person that could help me make sense it. But…All I found was his tombstone. I screamed at him, cursing him for getting himself killed. For leaving me lost and adrift." Zane stopped, shaking his head for a moment before continuing, "After that I wandered across the planet, seeking some purpose in a world I no longer understood."

Zane then unzipped his coat, presumably to clean his uniform. "For months, I travelled, never staying in one place for more than a few days. And as odd as this may seem to you, I helped people. Why? I don't really know. Perhaps part of me sought to atone for some fraction of the sins I committed during the war. Perhaps I did it because I had nothing else. Perhaps…" He seemed to get lost in thought for a moment. Zane cleared his throat. "Eventually, Durandal, the newly elected Chairman, found me and offered me a chance to return to ZAFT. He said I could do something meaningful here. I accepted in exchange for a new identity, to escape my past, and here we are."

"Why did you take his name?"

Zane glanced over his shoulder at him. "Why not? What is a name really? Does a name define a person? No. A name is merely another title. Meaningless when you get right down to it. And I understand that you yourself went under another name not too long ago."

He was trying to avoid the question. Athrun was about to let him do that. "I'm serious. Why did you take his name?"

Zane turned the facet off and turned to him, zipping up his coat. "I took it as a reminder. A reminder of what I had lost, of what I done, and what I had gained. Whether you believe it or not, I am not the same person I once was."

"Before I leave, let me give you a warning. Things are not what they seen with this war. Truth and lies have become muddled together. What you think is truth could be lies and what you think is lies could be truth. And Rau's legacy was more than just I. There were others out there and you already know them. Be careful on who you trust Athrun."

With that, Zane started to leave. "Wait!" Athrun yelled, reaching out to grab him. "Get back here! I still have-"

Suddenly, Zane spun around, flinging his arm at him. Powder hit Athrun's face. He coughed, trying to brush it away. Athrun blinked, his vision began to blur as a sudden grogginess him. _"Don't worry…"_ a voice drawled. _"Only a sleeping drug…You be…out…"_

Darkness consumed Athrun…

_He was lying on a beach in Orb, his arm wrapped around Cagalli. The sun was sitting on the ocean, casting a reddish-orange light on everything. At that moment, everything was perfect. They looked at each other, their eyes meeting. Cagalli inched closer to him…_

_Athrun…_

_Athrun…_

"_Athrun…Athrun…Wake up…Come on Athrun…Sorry about this…"_

Suddenly, a hand struck his face, jarring Athrun awake. "Come on Athrun. Time to get up."

Athrun opened his eyes just as he was struck again by Saul. "Ah…Ow! I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Athrun rubbed his sore face as Saul knelt over him. "Sorry. But I found you sleeping on the washroom floor," he replied. "So where'd the prick go?"

"I don't know," Athrun admitted, annoyed at himself for dropping his guard. "He hit me with some kind of sleeping powder and ran."

"Well, I guess you didn't get anything useful out of him."

It seemed like it. But there was a small part of him that wondered if there was some truth in his words. "No I don't," Athrun answered.

Saul patted him on the back. "Well, brace yourself for more bad news. That guy he was eating with has been assigned to the Minerva."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Yzak's not happy about it. He was fine with the Captain being in FAITH, but having two other pilots that out rank is annoying him."

"I can imagine."

Saul chuckled but then paused for a moment. "You gonna be alright?"

Athrun still felt a little groggy, but otherwise he was alright. "Yeah. I just need to splash some water in my face."

"Good," Saul said, helping him up to his feet. "Now if excuse me, I have some business to take care of," he added, heading into a stall.

* * *

Athrun returned to the dining hall. The second he set foot in the room, all eyes were on him. Everyone was still there from before, expect for those four Red Coats that had been sitting next to Zane's table. "Athrun," Meer said with concern as she approached.

"I'm fine. …Lacus," he replied as Meer hugged him.

"All done with the Commander?" a voice asked.

It was the orange haired FAITH agent that had been talking with Zane. Athrun eyed him warily. This guy appeared to have some kind of relationship with Zane. He could be dangerous. Though he could have easily been deceived by Zane. "Yeah, something like that," he said, keeping himself civil. "…I'm sorry about the commotion."

"Oh don't worry about that. Zane told me something like that would happen if he and you met again, Athrun Zala."

Athrun blinked. "You knew who he was? About his past?"

"Of course. The others didn't, but I did." The Red Coat stopped, finishing up his cup of coffee. "But the way, I'm Heine Westenfluss. It appears we'll be working together for the time being."

"I know. Can we trust you?"

"Of course. I'm a ZAFT soldier, just like you," Heine replied, insulted by the question. "Who my previous teammates and comrades are, shouldn't matter in that regard. After all, you were his teammate for a time in the last war."

Athrun didn't reply, he just glared at him.

Heine sighed. "Look, I know the person you served with the last war, whether you believe it or not, he's not that person. Not anymore," he explained. "Though if you don't believe that, I remind you that I am not him and that I, like any ZAFT soldier, will have your back in combat."

"We'll see."

* * *

Outside Diocuia

Later That Day

Shinn raced along the coast roads outside Diocuia on a motorcycle he rented. He wanted to clear his mind after all of the Chairman's words yesterday. The idea that were people out there that profited from war and actually desired it, sicken him.

Shinn stopped his motorcycle on a cliff overlooking the sea. But if the Chairman was true to his words, Durandal would put a stop to that.

"Ha ha ha he he he!" he heard a girl laugh.

There was blond haired girl, dancing and laughing on a nearby cliff. Shinn found her vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place her. After a moment, he gave on trying to remember her. Besides, it was unlikely that he knew her. After all, this was his first time at Diocuia. Shinn turned back to the sea.

"Ah!!!" he heard the girl screamed.

Shinn's head shot back to where the girl was. She was gone. "Did she just…"

Ignoring the danger, Shinn sprinted across a narrow ledge between the two cliffs. Upon reaching the spot where the girl was, he leaned over the edge. In the waters below, the girl was flailing around. "What?!! You're kidding me! She fell!" It was then that Shinn realized that the girl was drowning. "She doesn't know how to swim!"

Kicking off his shoes and his sweater, Shinn leaped of the cliff, diving into the sea. Once he hit the water, Shinn swam towards the girl as fast as he could. He reached out for the flailing girl, only to get hit in the face by an arm. The girl was struggling violently, hitting Shinn every time he tried to help her. He ignored it as he kept on seeking to help her. The girl's nails cut across his face as Shinn's hands wrapped around her waist. She thrashed against him, forcing Shinn backwards, but he held on, pulling her on top of him. The girl slowed down and stopped, whether from exhaustion or realizing that she wasn't sinking anymore, Shinn didn't know or care. "It's alright. I got you," Shinn said, swimming to the shore with her.

After a minute of swimming, Shinn dragged the girl into an alcove, where the water was shallow. Unfortunately, they were trapped, as the only way to leave required them to swim. So much for his day off. "Are you trying to die you twit!" he shouted, annoyed at the whole situation. "You were right on the edge! And you don't know how to swim! Playing around like a little…"

The girl suddenly started freaking out. "I-I-I…. No… I don't…wanna die…" she uttered, trying to get away from him by walking right out into the sea. "No!!"

"Hey! Stop!" Shinn yelled, trying to stop her.

Shinn grabbed onto her, only to get an elbow to the face, knocking him back. "I don't wanna die!" she screamed as he grabbed her again. "I'm so scared…"

"Calm down!" he said as she continued to fight against him. "No one's going to hurt you!"

"I'm gonna get shot! I don't want to die!"

Realization dawned on Shinn. _'This girl… Could she be…'_

"I'm so afraid…I'm so afraid of dying…" the scared girl continued to utter.

Shinn did the only thing he could think of. He pulled the girl in a hug. "Yeah. I know. You'll be fine. You're not going to die," he said, trying to comfort her as he held her against him. "Don't worry. I swear I'll protect you. I'm so sorry for upsetting you. But you're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll protect you."

"Protect me…" the girl whispered.

Shinn broke the embraced and started leading her a cave in the alcove where they could get out of the water and dry off. "Yes. There's no need to worry, I'll keep you safe. You're not going to die, I promise you."

"Protect…"

A moment later, Shinn helped her out of the water and set her on a rock. That's when he noticed the cut on her ankle. "Your ankle, you must have cut it on the rock. Does it hurt?" The girl was still in a daze and didn't answer. "Here, let me fix it."

Shinn pulled out a wet handkerchief from his pocket, using it first to clean the wound before drying it out and wrapping it around her ankle. "There you go."

* * *

Treize was not happy. Captain Roanoke had told them to take the day off and they had gone off, though he ordered some of the others to watch over their two potential problems, Stella and Maia. "You lost her," he coldly said.

Sting paled. "Well, she was playing around and I decided to let her-"

"Idiot!" Treize yelled, slapping him. "You know what she's like. That's why I told you to keep an eye on her. Now she's missing and we're going to have to find her. Take Auel and search here you left her. I'll call the others so they can help sort out your mess. Pray we find her, or I'll be taking out on your _hide._"

* * *

Shinn had activated his emergency beacon after tending to the girl's ankle. Now they just had to wait for help to come. After activating the beacon, he took her inside the cave and started a fire from some driftwood that had washed up in the cave. Now they were sitting back to back, Shinn in just his pants, the girl only in her underwear, their clothes nearby, drying out. "Are you from the nearby city? What's your name?" Shinn asked, cautious of her freaking out again. "Do you understand?"

"My name is…Stella. City…I don't know," the girl quietly answered.

"Well there must be somebody who'd miss you. Your father? Your mother?"

"I'm with Neo. …And the others. Mother…Father…I don't know."

Her words confirmed Shinn's suspicions. The girl was a war orphan. One who had experienced great pain and trauma at a young age had never fully recovered. "I see… Something terrible happened to you too."

Stella glanced over her shoulder, a confused look in her eyes. "Terrible?"

"Sorry! You're completely safe now!" a panicking Shinn said, afraid that he had set her off again. "Don't worry. I'm here and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll protect you."

"You'll protect me? I won't die?"

"No. You'll be fine. You won't die," Shinn replied reassuringly. "My name is Shinn. Shinn Asuka."

"Shinn…" Stella whispered as though testing his name out.

Shinn smiled. "Yes… Shinn."

Stella stood up and went to her clothes. A moment later, her hand reached out past Shinn's shoulder. "Here," she said.

"For me…" Shinn turned to her, only to get a view of her exposed chest. "Gah!" he shrieked, closing his eyes and turning away, blushing in embarrassment. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, focusing entirely on her hand and the item in it. It was a piece of a pink seashell. "This is for me?" he asked, picking it up with a smile. "Thanks Stella."

* * *

He raised the cup of tea to face, savoring the aroma before taking a sip. "Well, you certainly had an eventful morning," Heine said, sitting down at the window side booth.

Zane put his cup down on the table. "Yes. But it went better than I expected."

"Do you think the Chairman wanted that to happen?"

"I wouldn't put it past him."

"But why?"

Zane shrugged. "Who knows, the Chairman has plans within plans."

"I would think that if he wanted to make sure Athrun stayed on his side, he would have kept the two of you apart," Heine commented, pausing to a waitress his order.

"Not necessarily. Perhaps he wants to show Athrun that he helps even the most undeserving of people," Zane replied, sipping his tea. "What better example than me?"

"Do you think Athrun would-"

But Zane quickly cut him off. "No. He wouldn't."

A silence descended on the pair for a few moments before Heine spoke again. "This is some mess the world has gotten itself into again."

Zane nodded, setting his empty cup on the table. "Yes… For quite a while now, I've wondered if the men who ushered in this age we live in knew what they're actions would lead to, if they knew what they were creating and what they would think if they saw it now."

"Men like George Glenn?"

"No," Zane replied, shaking his head. "Glenn and what he did, was just a product of their efforts. Truthfully, had anyone else been the First Coordinator, the end result, the creation of the PLANTs and ZAFT, would have been the same. Only the road would have been different. The men I'm talking about are one who created George Glenn and all Coordinators. What would they have to say about this world they created? Would they just shrug their shoulders, accepting what the world has become? Would they laugh and cry at the utter stupidity and insanity of humanity and all the chaos and bloodshed they've created from the world they sought to create? Or would they say nothing, already knowing how the world would go, expecting it go that way?"

"Who knows, they're all long dead," Heine said. "But I doubt any of them could have any clue how the creation of Coordinators could affect the world.

"Human nature isn't that hard to predict. And if one learns to truly understand the human mind, to anticipate its responses, one can easily predict not just how individuals will react, but how nations react, how the entire human race will react. The most dangerous people alive are not the ones who are the strongest warriors or the most powerful leaders; it's those who completely understand human nature. Because they've anticipated how things will end before they even begin."

The waitress came around, delivering a cup of coffee for Heine and pouring a fresh cup of tea for Zane. "Sounds like the Chairman," Heine commented.

"Indeed. He is one such individual. But there are a few others out there as well."

"Are you one?"

Zane didn't answer right away as though contemplating the question. "You know, back when I was still contemplating if I should come back to ZAFT or not, I went to the laboratory where George Glenn was born. I wanted to see where it all began. It's nothing but a dull museum now. And yet while I was there, I was struck by this feeling. Like I could see the whole thing, the whole world, from the Earth to the PLANTs, and that it was all connected. One long chain of events that started before the birth of George Glenn and leads off beyond this war and its eventual end. I felt that I could see everything that had happened, everything that was happening and everything that would happen. A grand design laid out before my eyes. It was then that I realized we were all a part of it. Trapped in it without even realizing it. We've all been born into a prison, deluding ourselves into believing that this is all there is, that this is the way the world is and will always be." Zane stopped and turned to the window, staring out at Diocuia. "I truly despise it. Nothing would please me more than seeing it all torn down."

* * *

"An emergency signal while you're on leave," Athrun called out as the boat approached the alcove. "You just can't take a normal day off like everyone else, can you?"

Shinn, now fully clothed, stepped out of the cave and into the blinding light of the boat's searchlight. "Athrun? Is that you?"

"Yeah. How did you get out here?"

"It's kind of a long story. But I wasn't shipwrecked. Something happened." Shinn stepped back into the cave and helped Stella out of the cave while a ZAFT soldier approached in an inflatable boat. After they were all on board the larger boat, Shinn finished explaining what happened. "This girl here fell of the cliff. I dove in to save her and brought her to shore, but we were stranded."

"Is she from Diocuia?" Athrun asked.

"Well…she hasn't given me a clear answer," he said, wrapping Stella in a blanket.

"What?"

"I think she lost her parents in the war. She probably survived something traumatic."

Athrun nodded, understanding. "I see… What's her name?"

"Stella."

"And her home?"

"She has said yet."

"Then we'll take her back to the base and see what we can dig up," Athrun replied.

"_Stella! Stella!"_

"_Hey Stella!"_

Stella suddenly shot up upon hearing the shouts. "Sting! Auel!"

* * *

After reaching a nearby dock, were a ZAFT jeep waited, which the three of them took, heading back to where Stella's two friends were waiting with their car. "Sting! Auel!" Stella cheered, rushing to the two of them.

"Silly thing. What happened to you?" Sting asked as Stella hugged him.

"She fell into the sea," Shinn answered, approaching the trio. "Luckily, I was there to jump in and rescue her."

"Is that so? I'm sorry for any trouble that she caused," Sting apologized. "But thank you for helping her."

Shinn smiled. "Don't mention it."

Athrun looked at the trio. Seeing them together, sparked a memory. He remembered seeing four people in the Armory One Spaceport that he had found odd. They looked like three of the four he saw there. Could they be the same people? No. They couldn't be. The odds were just too slim. "Come on Shinn, we have to go," he called out.

"Alright. I'm coming," Shinn said, starting to walk back.

"Shinn," Stella said, stopping the teen. "Are you going?"

"Sorry, but I have to," he answered. "But it will be okay, now that you're back with your friends."

"Shinn…"

"Don't worry Stella. I'm sure we'll see each other again," Shinn said, stepping into the jeep and sitting down. Athrun started up the vehicle. "Bye Stella!" Shinn called out as they left, waving his hand. "I promise I'll visit you some time!"

"Bye Shinn!" the girl called back as they turned a corner.

* * *

Treize stood atop his motorcycle, watching the ZAFT jeep leave his fellow Extended. "Hmm…It appears that Stella has had a run in with a ZAFT soldier," he commented. "The doctors will have to make sure that nothing unnecessary remains in that frail mind of her's."

_RING! RING! RING!_

Treize pulled out the cell phone he had been given and answered it. "Yes?"

"_Treize."_ It was Captain Roanoke. _"Have you found Stella?"_

"Yes sir. It appears that she spent some time with a ZAFT soldier. I recommend that the doctors erase her memories of today to be on the safe side."

"_I see… Very well then. I'll pick you all up tomorrow morning and take you back to the John Paul Jones. We're going to be moving out for our next mission."

* * *

_

This wasn't as long as the last two, but I just wanted to get it out of the way so I could focus on the first battle between the Minerva and the joint EA/Orb taskforce, and of course, the return of the Archangel.

Though I did rather enjoy Zane's two scenes.

As always, review!


	23. Phase 21: Sword of the Azure Skies

Yo everybody! Sorry for the delay. The biggest reasons were that I was stuck on the battle that takes up the bulk of the next chapter, and Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising came out this week, so I've been struggling with getting the chapter finished. But it's done now. So on with the show.

**Phase Twenty-One: Sword of the Azure Skies**

The John Paul Jones

"No! Don't! You can't take it from me!" Stella screamed, clutching Shinn's handkerchief to her chest. "Get back!"

The two doctors backed away from Stella's pods while a confused Sting and Auel watched on. "Alright alright, we're not going to take from you," one of the doctors said, trying to calm her down.

"What's going on here?" Neo asked as he entered the room, drawn by the noise.

Stella immediately stopped. "Neo!" she said, hoping he had come to help her.

"Ah…well we wanted to check on her leg injury before putting her under, but when we tried to remove the handkerchief from her, she became hysterical," the doctor explained.

"So that's the problem. I'm sorry Stella," Neo said, approaching Stella. Once he reached her pod, he started patting her on the head, reassuring the blond haired Extended. "Put your mind at ease. No one's going to take it from you."

"Do you really mean it?" Stella asked, afraid it was a trick.

"Yes. Why would anyone want to take way something so precious to you?"

Stella smiled and nodded her head. "Alright, it's time for bed," Neo said. "For all of you."

The three Second Generation Extended laid down in their pods, closing their eyes as the pod doors lowered into place. Gas poured in putting them asleep as the doctors watched on their consoles.

"I get the feeling I've crossed a line, that I've become a wicked man," Neo mused, walking behind the control console. "Taking important things away is what we do best."

"It always amazes me how well you handle them," the first doctor said.

"These memories of ours…Do they really make us happy? Or are we better off without them troubling us? I sometimes wonder about that myself," Neo admitted as he watched the sleeping teens. "For her to become that disturbed, she must have experienced something quite significant."

"You right about that," the doctor replied, studying the readings they were getting from her. "She came back with a strong impression of something. Well whatever it is, it will soon be gone."

"I think the three of them are better off without their memories," the second doctor commented. "They're fighting machines. Their only job is to defeat their assigned enemies. Any unnecessary feelings would only get in the way. Memories would reduce their efficiency."

"Yes I know. Anything these three kids are tossed, anything they feel, won't do them any good," Neo said as he turned to leave.

"Sympathy for them will only make things harder," the second doctor replied.

"It's all because I let them go into town. There's a lot going on there. I want you to pay special attention to their maintenance."

The doctors nodded, their hands dancing across the console. "Right," one said.

Neo took one last glance at Stella before he left. "That girl fears dying more than anything else, so if she wants to keep on living, than she has no choice but to keep on destroying our enemies."

* * *

"There, all done," Maia said, putting down her tools and lifting up the purple Haro. Not only had she reprogrammed it, she had also paint a white skull on its face. "So much better now."

"It's still a stupid toy," Gyunei replied, looking up from his handheld video game system.

"Bite me jackass!" the Haro chirped.

Gyunei instantly shot up to his feet, his video game forgotten. "What?! What did you call me?!"

"Ugly jackass!"

The male Extended tore the Haro from Maia grasped. "Say that again! I dare you!" he shouted at it.

"You're yelling at a toy," Reccoa commented, not even bothering to look up from the book she was reading.

"This thing started it!" Gyunei shot back.

"It's a _toy_."

"Hey! Go to hell!" the Haro chirped at Reccoa as Maia pulled it out of Gyunei's hands.

"See! Isn't he great now? So much better than before," Maia said as she affectionately rubbed her cheek against the small robot.

"Yeah! I rock! You all suck!" the machine cheered, flapping its ear-like flaps.

* * *

Treize turned off the water, stepping out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He took a moment to glance down at his body, staring at the vast collection of scars that lined his body. Surgical scars, scars from bullet wounds, knife wounds, burns and various other old wounds. Even a tenth of his body had been replaced with parts taken from others, to replace badly damaged parts of his body from various live combat training exercises. Parts culled from other, failed EX-C units.

So great was the cost of their creation, that those who died or failed to meet the standards weren't disposed of. Rather, their bodies were frozen to be harvested for transplants to more successful units that had sustained severe damage during exercises.

All of them carried parts of those failures. So brutal was their creation that none escaped physical scarring and the loss of chucks of their bodies. But in the end, the brutal regiment had created a superior breed of soldier: himself.

The others, while formidable soldiers, were failures compared to him. He was the greatest Extended ever created. None could surpass him nor had he ever been defeated. The pilots of the Minerva had only succeeded in delaying the inevitable. Even together, they had failed to destroy him, only succeeding at delaying him long enough for the others to lose. But that would change in the next battle. He could feel it. There would be blood. Lots of it.

He couldn't wait…

* * *

The Minerva

"Heine Westenfluss… Originally a member of the Hawkins Team, who were the main battlefield test pilots during the Bloody Valentine War, as well as test pilot for several experimental mobile suits, including the YFX-GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type. And a veteran of Jachin Due. After the war, he remained with the Hawkins Team, testing new ZAFT mobile suits including the ZGMF-1000 ZAKU until a month and a half before the incident at Armory One, when he was transferred to the Dante Team. Was involved with the Operation to break up Junius Seven, the defense of the PLANTs and Operation Reclaimer. And he's been assigned to the Minerva, to my team."

"That about sums it up," Heine replied.

Yzak set down his file and stared at him for a moment. "I don't hate Zane as much as the others do, nor do I feel the need to lump you in the same category as him. However, I don't like that the Chairman has assigned you, a FAITH agent, to this ship. I'm in command of the mobile suit team here. Unfortunately, we both know that I can't order you around, I can only ask. Will you follow my orders while we're in combat?"

"Of course. I have no problem with you giving me orders. I'll follow them as readily as any order from the Chairman or HQ," Heine said. "I'm not some sort of strict, bossy type who demands adherence to an ironclad chain of command."

Yzak's eyes twitched for a moment. "Very well, that's all I wanted to talk to you about. You can leave."

* * *

"Let's see… I'll raise," Gekido said, throwing more chips into the pile.

Nicol glanced at the pot, then at his hand, then again at the pot. "This is too rich for me. Fold," he said, putting his cards down. "So we're heading out again."

Suiren nodded, studying her cards. "Yeah. The Alliance is eager to take back the areas that have left the Alliance for ZAFT. So there's little doubt that we'll be seeing some action soon," she replied. "I'll see your raise and add another ten. And of course, they know we're here. So they're going to throw the best they have at us."

"True. Question is who will we be facing? Those guys from Armory One, those black Windams, or someone entirely new," Saul commented, adding some of his own chips into the growing pot.

"I've heard that Orb has sent out an expeditionary fleet to support Alliance forces here," Suiren said, twirling a chip in her hand.

Dearka let out a low whistle as he tossed in some chips. "That's not good."

"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to the idea of fighting Orb either," Nicol said.

Tristan threw down his cards. "I'm out. But either way, we're in for some tough fighting."

"When is that any different from any other battle we've had?" Saul asked.

"True. We always seem to get stuck with the big battles. In fact, every other engagement that this ship hasn't be a part of, barring the opening battle, have been for the most part, minor skirmishes," Suiren said. "Very unusual."

"Yeah. In the last war, there were all kinds of major engagements that none of us ever saw," Dearka added, thinking back to the war. "Yet here we are, right in the middle of all the big fights so far."

"Well, there haven't been many major battles so far. It's not that had to believe that we could end up fighting in all of them," Tristan offered.

"That's the other thing, this is a war, yet neither side seems all that interested in fighting the war. There's been next to nothing happening in space despite the fact it should be the primary battleground here. In fact, we should be on the ropes in this war. The Alliance outnumbers us badly. The only reason they didn't they didn't wipe the floor with us in the beginning of the last war, was the superiority of mobile suits over mobile armors," Saul explained, tapping his cards on the table. "But now, they have mobile suits. You guys weren't at the opening battle. We won because they withdrew. They still badly outnumbered us and could have beaten us then and there. And we only won back Carpentaria and Gibraltar because their forces were weakened from taking the bases and they had ended up destroying the bulk of the bases' defenses when they took them. Even then, it was a hard bloody fight."

"Yeah… Come to think of it, even taking away what they lost in Break the World, the Earth Alliance should have been able to just overwhelm us in that first battle. So why didn't they?" Dearka said, thinking over how this war had progressed so far. But he wasn't the only one. All of the other pilots, save Saul, were thinking the same thing. "It's almost like the Alliance is…well, playing with us."

"Bingo. Give the man a prize," Saul said humorlessly.

"But why?" Nicol asked. "What would they have to gain from this? And how did you realize this?"

"I may be a lazy slacker, but I've always been rather observant. As to why, I have no clue."

"Maybe it's like the Chairman said, LOGOS is trying to milk this for as much money as possible," Tristan suggested.

Suiren shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. If such a group exists, they would be able to generate easy money from civil unrest here on Earth, than provoking a war with ZAFT," she replied. "There are a lot of terrorist groups out there in poorer nations of Earth. It would be easier to supply them and get to start a civil war in their nations. Then they could just sit back and watch the money flow in. If LOGOS exists and is controlling the Alliance from behind the scenes, I would thing that they would have a greater reason for what they're doing than just money."

"True. But a civil war, even several, wouldn't generate the same amount as a major war like this," Tristan said. "My family owns IDB, and we've been the primary designers and manufactures of ZAFT's military hardware since ZAFT was founded. I'd be lying if I said that the company didn't make a ton of money during the war. And now, once again, our profits are soaring."

"Makes you wonder just what this war is being fought over," Saul commented. "Ah well, who's turn is it?"

* * *

Later That Night

"We still don't know if they're going to take Gibraltar or come our way. But the timing suggests that they'll try to take back what they lost. I'm sure they'll want to reopen their land route to Suez. Headquarters feels the same way, looks like we're heading into battle again," Talia explained to the top officers of the Minerva. "Well, ours is not to question why."

Yzak rubbed his chin, contemplating the intelligence they had received. "Do we have any idea on the forces at Suez and what they'll bring up against us, aside from their incoming reinforcements?"

"I took part in a raid against Suez not too long ago," Heince replied. "It's definitely a major Earth Forces base. Lots of ships and tons of mobile suits. Fortunately, they obviously can't send all of those forces at us. But we can expect a large, well-armed force."

"And that isn't all were facing. We've identified _that_ ship, the one we faced in the Indian Ocean," Talia grimly added.

"The one carrying the machines they stole from us?" Arthur asked, a little fearful of the answer.

Talia nodded. "That's right. And you can bet that they'll show up."

"Are they talking about the stolen Armory One mobile suits and those other machines that fly with them?" Heine quietly asked Athrun, a little unsure about who they were talking about.

"Yes," Athrun answered. "They're more formidable than everything else we've faced so far."

"In any case, this ship is moving out," Talia said. "We'll head for the first line of defense in the Dardanelles and guard the entrance to the Sea of Marmara. We'll leave at 0600 hours tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am," Arthur, Athrun and Yzak replied.

"No objections?" Talia asked them, though her gaze was focused on Heine.

"No ma'am. Of course not," Heine replied, shaking his head.

"I'll get the ship ready immediately, ma'am," Arthur said.

"Good. Gentlemen," Talia said, dismissing them. Athrun, Yzak and Heine started leaving the bridge when Talia called out, "Oh, and Athrun."

Athrun stopped and turned back. "Yes?"

"It seems that those reinforcements the Earth Forces are expecting are from the Orb military." Athrun gasped, his face locked in a look of shock. "I know this is hard to imagine, but right now that nation is one of them," Talia continued.

Athrun just couldn't believe it. "Orb is an enemy? They can't be!"

"All ZAFT forces in the region have been given orders to stop the Orb forces from invading the Black Sea. There's no way to avoid it. A battle is inevitable at this point," Talia said. "Right now, they're a part of the Earth Forces. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Athran replied, but he couldn't shake the dread in his voice.

* * *

Orb Carrier, Takemikazuchi

The Following Morning

"Greetings Lord Yuna Roma Seiran," Neo said, saluting the Supreme Commander of the Orb Expeditionary Fleet. "I am Captain Neo Roanoke of the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group. This is Captain Eric Matthews of the John Paul Jones and my subordinate, Lieutenant Treize Zabiarov."

The Orb officers returned the salute. "Greetings to you as well, Captain Roanoke," Yuna replied, reaching out and shaking Neo's hand. He then gestured behind him at Todaka. "This is my Second-in-Command, Colonel Todaka."

Todaka nodded his head. "Sir."

"Now that the introductions are out of the way, shall we discuss our battle plans?"

* * *

The John Paul Jones

Stella slowly opened her eyes as the pod lid opened. She yawned and sat up, stretching her arms. That's when she noticed the thing in her hand. It was a handkerchief with some small bloodstains on it. "What's this?" she wondered aloud. In the end, she shrugged and set it down on the pod, leaving it as she left to get dressed.

* * *

The Minerva

"What?! An Orb fleet?!" Shinn exclaimed, dropping his fork.

"Yeah. I heard an Orb fleet is reinforcing them," Luna replied.

Shinn was at a loss. How could Orb actually send out a fleet to fight alongside the Alliance?! The same people that burned Orb in the last war. The same people that… "How could that country…"

"Yeah, I know. It really is pretty unbelievable. And all the way out here. But they're part of the Earth Forces now so we should be that surprised," Luna casually commented, as though it was no big deal.

* * *

Athrun stood on one of the Minerva's decks, watching as the ship pulled out the Diocuia Base harbor, heading to the Dardanelles Strait, his mind still reeling from the fact that they were heading to a confrontation with Orb forces. If only Cagalli had stayed in Orb… If only Kira hadn't taken her from Orb… She could have stopped it; she could have stopped all of this from happening. "So you were in Orb all that time after the great war. I've heard from others that it's a wonderful nation," Heine said, stepping onto the deck and snapping Athrun from his thoughts.

"Yes. It certainly is," he replied, turning to Heine.

Heine approached the railing. "This place is beautiful too, in its own way," he commented, looking out at the passing landscape.

"Yes, it is."

"You'd rather not fight," Heine commented. "I mean against Orb."

"That's true."

"Alright then, who would you prefer to fight?"

Athrun was caught off guard by his question. "It's not like there's someone specific I want to fight…" he tried to explain.

"Yeah, I thought so. Same here. That sums it up, eh?" Heine said, turning to Athrun. "Stop worrying. You have to concentrate. We're in the middle of a war and we're soldiers. If you forget, then you will die."

Athrun could only nod his head. He was utterly surprised at his words, even more so considering that it was coming from one of Zane's subordinates.

* * *

The Takemikazuchi

In Route to the Dardanelles

"I see… The Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara," Yuna said, studying the map. "If it were up to me, I'd wait for them here and attack when they arrive." Yuna pointed at the end of the strait. "We should confront that ship as it comes out of the strait. I think that's our best bet," he explained, stating the most obvious strategy they could take against the Minerva. "ZAFT has the Minerva and I understand your concerns with that ship, but that's the beauty of my plan. If that one ship is the core of their defense, then if we destroy it, their entire line will collapse."

"I see you're not the Supreme Commander of Orb for nothing. Very encouraging," Neo complemented, playing to Yuna and his ego, who graciously lapped the praise like a hungry dog. To everyone else, it was as clear as day that Roanoke was merely pandering to him. "We'll give Orb the honor of leading the attack. You can lure the enemy to either the left or the right, and we'll join the attack from that side."

"My thoughts exactly," Yuna excitedly replied. "It's a beautiful plan."

Todaka suppressed the urge to shake his head and groan in frustration. Yuna had no idea of real tactics. He was throwing at the enemy, hoping that they would crush them with sheer numbers. While it should work in theory against a single ship, Todaka doubted it would against the Minerva. Not after what he had seen just outside Orb waters. The Minerva had driven an Alliance fleet back then, and they were just as capable of doing it again. More so even, as their pilots had become more experienced from their past battles, and the ship had gained even more mobile suits since then, while among Orb's forces, the number of combat veterans was painfully low. And with the placement of their forces, the Orb fleet would take the brunt of the casualties if…_when_ things went wrong.

Unfortunately, all of this was lost on Yuna. He only saw it has a chance to prove Orb's worth to the leaders of the Earth Alliance. But Todaka knew his duty. He would serve and Orb to his dying breath, even under the orders of such an incompetent flop like Yuna. He only hoped that he wouldn't be sharing that last breath with all of the young men and women under his command.

"I believe that we will be confronting the enemy as soon as we reach the strait. We're counting on you," Neo said.

"Just leave everything to us," Yuna eagerly replied. "You'll see how great the Orb military really is."

* * *

The Minerva

A Few Hours Later

"Distance to the Dardanelles: 3000," Burt reported.

They were nearing the defensive position they had been assigned. They already received recon reports that a combined EA/Orb fleet was advancing towards Diocuia and this was the only way for them to reach it. "Bring the ship to Condition Red. Lower the bridge," Talia ordered. "Prepare for anti-ship and anti-mobile suit combat."

Shinn and Athrun were the last to suit up; everyone else had already left for their mobile suits. After zipping up his suit, Shinn slammed his locker door shut and headed for the elevator to the hanger, Athrun close behind him. "Hey Shinn, what's bothering you?" Athrun called out.

"Nothing's bothering me, alright!" Shinn angrily replied as they stepped into the elevator. "I realize we're fighting Orb but I'll think of them as the Earth Forces."

Athrun shook his head as the elevator doors closed. "Cagalli wouldn't…If only she had been there," he said. "I seriously doubt that something like this would have happened had she still been around."

"What are you talking about?! That idiot!" Shinn exclaimed.

"I know there's still a lot she needs to learn, but you can't deny that her feelings are completely sincere."

"That doesn't help anybody one bit!" Shinn practically shouted at him, his disgust for Cagalli and the Athhas evident once again. "You can't run at nation on feelings alone. The Athhas are all like that."

"The truth of the matter is, you really loved Orb, didn't you Shinn?" Shinn froze at Athrun's words, stunned at what he claimed. "That's why you're so angry at it, right?" A scowl spread across Shinn's face. "With today's Orb and with the Orb that couldn't save your family on Onogoro Island."

"You're wrong! That isn't it!" Shinn exclaimed.

At that instant, the elevator door opened and Shinn stormed out, heading for the Core Splendor, and ending the conversation right there.

* * *

The Takemikazuchi

"Right. Let's get started," Yuna said from his command chair. "Commencing Operation Dardanus Dawn."

Todaka and several of the other nearby officers turned and glanced at Yuna in confusion.

Yuna blinked. "What? You mean you don't know? The son of Zeus and Electra. It's where the name of this strait came from. Greek Mythology. Cool name for an operation, eh," he said, grinning smugly.

Todaka shook his head. Regradless, it was time to start the Operation. "Begin launching the mobile suit teams," he ordered.

* * *

The John Paul Jones

"Orb's pretty gung-ho," Captain Matthews commented, watching the Orb Astrays and Murasames take off. "Considering how they had to travel to get here."

"They're energetic because they still have something they desperately want to protect," Neo replied. "Such people have great strength. Let us pray they emerge victorious. It would be a great relief if we could take out that ship today.

* * *

The Minerva's Hanger

"_Heat signatures confirmed at 1o'clock. Count: 20 mobile suits. They're Orb Murasames and Astrays,"_ Burt reported.

"I see…" Yzak said, in the cockpit of ZAKU. "Alright, Athrun, Shinn, Suiren, Luna, Rey …and Heine, you'll launch and engage the incoming forces. The rest of us will remain on standby until they deploy the rest of their forces against us."

"Right," Athrun replied as the Savior and the GOUF Ignited were loaded onto the Minerva's catapults. "Athrun Zala, Savior taking off."

"Heine Westenfluss, GOUF Ignited launching."

The catapults activated, launching the two mobile suits.

"Shinn Asuka, Core Spendor launching."

From the central catapult, the Core Splendor fighter launched, followed by the Chest and Leg Flyers and the Force Silhouette. Once all four were launched, they combined together into the Force Impulse.

Next up was the silver ZAKU Phantom HM. "Suiren Kyusai, ZAKU Fortuna launching."

The catapult activated, throwing her forward.

Rey Za Burrel, Blaze ZAKU Phantom launching."

"Lunamaria Hawke, Gunner ZAKU Warrior taking off."

The two ZAKU took off as their Guuls were launched from the central catapult.

Directly ahead of the Minerva and its six mobile suits was the advancing Orb Murasames and Shrike equipped Astrays as the Kuraokami and Aegis-class warship opened fire, their AA guns and missiles firing into the air. "Well now, this is going to be interesting," Heine said. "Don't rush ahead into things. Let them come to us."

Three of the fighter mode Murasames surged ahead of the pack, firing on the ZAFT pilots. All of them scattered, save for Heine, mere sidestepped their shots as he drew his Tempest sword. They were almost on top of him when Heine finally struck, firing his left Draupnir beam gun at the lead Murasame, destroying it. Then he spun as the two remaining machines flew past him, slicing through the right Murasame as he spun. Once he had completely spun around, he stopped and threw his heat rod, wrapping it around the remaining machine's wing. Electricity surged up the cable, causing the Murasame exploded.

"Whoa…" Shinn said, more than impression by how Heine had just taken out three Murasames.

"That's what happens when you rush in without a plan," Heine said, pulling back his heat rod. "Look sharp. We got more coming for us."

Orb mobile suits fired as they closed in. Murasames raced around the battlefield while their slower Astray counterparts kept their distance as they fired their beam rifles. Shinn dodged a number of beams that were targeted at him, firing back with his rifle, taking out a pair of Astrays.

Nearby, a pair of Murasames chased after the Savior, which was in its mobile armor mode. Suddenly, Athrun pulled up sharply, catching the less experienced pilots off guard. He dropped down behind them and fired, clipping their wings, sending them falling into the sea.

Below them, the Orb battleships advanced on the Minerva, firing their cannons and missiles. The ZAFT warship fired back with its Tristan and Isolde cannons and missile launchers as it flew over the sea.

A trio of Murasames swooped down on the warship, firing their beams and missiles at it. The Minerva's CIWS guns fired, but the Orb machines managed to evade them. They didn't however evade Suiren's shots. She gunning down one and clipped the wings and thrusters of the other two.

Above, a Murasame transformed, firing on the Savior. Athrun pulled up his shield, blocking the shot and shooting the rifle from its hands. Elsewhere, Shinn roared as drew his beam saber and sliced through a Murasame's waist.

Another Murasame lunged at Heine with its beam saber. Heine ducked under the swing and rammed his shield into its chest, knocking it back. Before the Orb pilot could recover, Heine fired at the machine, destroying it.

Rey and Luna fired together a cluster of Astrays that were too close together, taking out three and crippling a fourth. "These guys don't seem so tough," Luna said, evading the shots of one of the survivors.

"Don't get overconfident, Lunamaria," Rey warned. "There's a lot more still out there."

* * *

"What's going on here?!" Yuna angrily demanded as more Orb mobile suits were taken down. "Why haven't you beaten them back yet?! They've only launched six mobile suits!" No one answered him, angering him further. "Send all the mobile suits after them!"

"But sir!" Todaka started. "We can't send them all out. That would-"

"Silence!" Yuna shouted. "Send them all out! That's a direct order! We'll surround them and overwhelm them!"

Todaka gritted his teeth, but he couldn't argue with his superior. "Launch all mobile suits," he ordered.

* * *

Heine blocked an Astray's beam saber with his shield and stabbed it with his sword, impaling it through the chest. After it exploded, he glanced back, seeing more Orb mobile suits approaching. A lot more. "Shoot… Yzak, they're deploying more mobile suits," Heine said over the comm. "I think the rest of you better launch now."

"_Alright. We'll launch to back you up now,"_ Yzak replied.

"_Hold on,"_ Meyrin said, interrupting them. _"We're preparing to fire the Tannhauser at the enemy fleet. Once it's been fired, we'll launch the remaining mobile suits."_

"The Tannhauser? Alright, we can hold on until then," Heine said, shooting down another Orb mobile suit.

Below them, the Minerva's bow opened and its positron cannon slid out into position, charging up to fire.

But as it was about to fire, a beam pierced the cannon and it exploded in a big fireball.

Everyone froze, scanning the skies for who destroyed the cannon. That's when it appeared…

The ZGMF-X10A Freedom.

"The Freedom?!" Athrun exclaimed. "Kira…"

* * *

And done for now. As I said, the rest of the battle, namely the big good bits, will be in the next chapter. So those of you waiting to see Kira vs Treize, you're going to have to wait just a bit longer. But there is one little sneak peek for you. Liz's mobile suit.

"_You want to dance? Fine! Let's dance!" _Elizabeth Dante  
Mobile Suit Serial Number: MBF-MX116 'Guardian'  
Unit Type: Prototype aquatic mobile suit  
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery  
Special Equipment: Phase Shift Armor; 'Geschmeidig Panzer' energy deflection armor; sonar array, range unknown, mount on tail extension  
Fixed Armaments: 2x M2M5D 12.5mm CIWS, mounted in head; 1x phonon maser cannon, mounted on backpack, operable only in close combat mode; 2x Type 74 high-energy beam cannon, mounted on backpack, operable only in close combat mode; 2x torpedo launcher, mounted on backpack, operable only in close combat mode; 2x 'Armfeuer' 115mm machinegun, mounted on forearms.  
Optional Hand Armaments: heavy spear  
Pilot: Elizabeth Dante  
Appearance: The body of the M1 Astray with the arm guns and backpack of the Forbidden, with the tail of the Forbidden Vortex and a single visor instead of twin eye slits and the torpedo launchers mounted on the back of its backpack.  
Color: Dark blue with black trim.  
Info: Following the end of the First Bloody Valentine War, the Orb Military focused on expanding its defenses to better cope with a potential future attack. While the M1 Astray had proven itself a strong ground and space mobile suit, the need for airborne and seaborne machines to protect Orb became apparent. Modeled after the GAT-X252 Forbidden, recovered by the Archangel following the Battle of Jachin Due and given to Morgenroete to study, the Guardian is the prototype of the Arashi aquatic mobile suit line. However, before the final approval for the MVF-M16A Arashi model, the Guardian was 'stolen' from Morgenroete.  
Author's notes: Now, I know that the Junius Seven Treaty banned Mirage Colloid technology, but considering that the Earth Alliance continued to produce the Forbidden line, it leads me to believe that the Treaty targeted Mirage Colloid stealth technology and not so much the energy deflection systems that the Forbidden series used to move underwater. If I'm wrong, than in my story, it only targeted the stealth tech and not the energy deflection tech.

As always, review!


	24. Phase Twenty Two: The Shadows of War

Finally, I'm done! This chapter took forever. I've felt absolutely terrible over the last few days. But now I'm back to normal and have the chapter up for your enjoyment. It's a mix of Maileesaeya's and mine.

**Phase Twenty-Two: The Shadows of War**

The Dardanelles Straight

Smoke spewed from the bow of the _Minerva_, the remains of the Tannhauser still burning as the ZAFT battleship descended towards the ocean.

"Tannhauser destroyed! FCS is down, ma'am!" Chen reported.

"Put out those fires and get the FCS up and running!" Talia ordered. "Damage control crews, standby!"

As the Minerva descended, the ZAFT pilots could only stare in horror at what was happening, while the Earth Forces and Orb fleets all paused, staring in surprise, as caught off-guard as the ZAFT forces by what had just happened.

"Water landing! All hands brace for surface impact!" Talia announced, gripping the arms of her chair.

The Minerva crashed into the water, the entire battleship shaking worse than normal because of the damage. In the hangar, Tristan yelped as his GuAIZ R shook free of its cradle, nearly falling on top of several mechanics, though fortunately, he managed to right his machine before anything happened.

In the Impulse, Shinn grit his teeth. He couldn't believe this was happening! Why the hell was the Freedom here? And why had it fired on the Minerva?

Nearby, Rey and Lunamaria stared at the Freedom in confusion. What was he doing here? And for Luna… why had he done that?

"Kira…" whispered Athrun, staring at the winged mobile suit floating there as a warship broke through the water and floated up behind it.

The Archangel.

"But I don't get it," Heine said, studying the Freedom and the Archangel. "Why would they intervene in this battle?"

"___I would think that obvious,_"Suiren replied as she pulled up next him. "___Did you forget who's on board that ship?_"

The Archangel___'_s starboard catapult opened, and from that catapult shot the familiar form of the legendary Strike Gundam, equipped with the Aile Striker. But as its Phase Shift Armor activated, the colors adopted were not the white and blue of the Strike, but rather, the pink and red of its descendant, the Strike Rouge. As it flew forward, stopping just past the Freedom, the insignia of the Lion of Orb became visible on its left shoulder.

"___I am the Orb Union's Chief Representative, Cagalli Yula Athha,_" the pilot said as they flew onto the battlefield. The combatants almost unanimously gasped in shock, only a select few unsurprised.

"Cagalli!" gasped Athrun.

"___Attention Orb Forces: cease fighting at once!_" Cagalli ordered. "___Disengage!_"

The battle fell into a momentary lull. Cagalli's thoughts strayed to the conversation from just a few days ago, when they'd first learned of the Orb Expeditionary Fleet headed to aid the Earth Forces.

* * *

_The __Archangel_

_Several days ago_

_"We've just received some information from our agent aboard the Minerva," Samuel said to the others has he read the report off the screen of a small personal computer. "They've given us some new information regarding the fake Lacus Clyne, among other things. It appears that her real name is Meer Campbell."_

_"Meer Campbell…" Lacus quietly uttered._

_"You know her?"_

_"No," Lacus replied, shaking her head. "I've never heard of her before."_

_Samuel cleared his throat and continued, "As we've seen on the news, she's currently giving a concert tour for the ZAFT soldiers on Earth as well as pro-ZAFT regions. Incidentally, this tour started several days ago at Diocuia when the Minerva arrived. They even managed to send us some pictures and articles on her." He pushed a few buttons on the hand-held computer, accessing the pictures. Samuel stopped, blinking a few times. "…I see. Cagalli, you're not going to like this," he said, turning the computer to the group._

_The screen showed a magazine cover featuring the fake Lacus, Meer Campbell, walking hand and hand with Athrun, wearing the uniform of a ZAFT Red Coat. Among the writing on the cover, was the words 'Lacus Clyne and her fiancée rendezvous in Diocuia.'_

_Just about everyone present looked shocked by the image. However, for Cagalli, the shock quickly faded, replaced by warring anger and sorrow. At one moment, she looked ready to burst into tears, the next, like she wanted to smash something. "How…how could he?!" she exclaimed._

_"Well… Before I gave Kira the Freedom, he and I were arranged to be married," Lacus said, trying to calm Cagalli. "And it was never publicly canceled."_

_"It won't be that hard to believe that Durandal is using that as well," John added. "Personally, I'm more interested in Athrun's uniform. Look closely as his left breast."_

_Samuel pulled the computer close to his face, examining the picture. Due to the angle of the photo, much of Athrun's left side was obscured. However, there was a small white object on his uniform, but most of it was hidden as well. "What is that? An insignia, a badge of somekind?"_

_"That's a FAITH badge."_

_"FAITH?"_

_"Fast Acting Integrate Tactical Headquarters," Andy answered. "An elite group of ZAFT officers, chosen by the Chairman or the Supreme Council, and who answer solely to them. To everyone else in ZAFT, they are separate and superior."_

_"But why give Athrun such a rank?" Kira asked. "And why maintain the marriage arrangement between him and Lacus?"_

_"Why? I couldn't say," John said. "Although…among those in the PLANTs, Athrun is held in an unusual position. On the one hand, he was a hero of the last war and helped bring an end to the war. Yet, he is also the son of Patrick Zala, the man who tried to annihilate the Earth, and he bares the stigma of his father's actions. There are people who hold Athrun as a hero, just as there are those who see him as nothing but the son of Patrick Zala. Given that, tensions could arise between Athrun and those he would serve with if he was just an ordinary officer. However, being a member of FAITH means that he outranks everyone he would work with, and in ZAFT, like every other military, you do not pick a fight with a superior officer. …Without a very good reason anyway. As for that whole thing with Lacus, I have no idea. There really is no reason for it. It's not really a propaganda tool or anything."_

_"What?! Why wasn't this sent to us immediately?!!" Samuel suddenly shouted as he stared at the computer screen._

_"What is it?" Murrue asked. "What's happened?"_

_"Nearly a week ago, an Orb expeditionary fleet was dispatched. Unfortunately, our agents were at the time, unable to learn where they were being sent," Samuel explained. "However, yesterday, they managed to learn their destination. Suez, where they would link up with an Earth Alliance fleet to attack and take back Diocuia." Samuel shook his head. "I'm sorry. Our agents should have reported the movements of the Orb fleet right away instead of waiting to find out their destination and battle plans."_

_A silence descended on the bridge. Kira, Murrue and many of the others hung their heads, knowing that this was a possibility with Orb apart of the Alliance, still hating that it had actually come to pass. Cagalli on the other hand could only stare at Samuel in shock as he finished. _"_Orb… has sent forces to Suez? You're kidding!" she said. "What's gotten into Unato? What are the ministers thinking?!"_

"_But it's not like they had a choice," Andy pointed out. "Joining the Alliance meant this kind of thing was bound to happen."_

"_Yeah, but… you were party to this originally, weren't you?" Kira added softly._

"_Kira!" Lacus said, her tone scolding._

"_Hmph. Don't kid yourself," Kira said, sparing Lacus only a brief glance before turning back to his sister. Cagalli needed this. "You knew this was gonna happen."_

"_No but… I didn't think…" Cagalli stuttered, trying to find the right words._

"_Don't be so hard on her," Murrue said, glancing at Kira. "Remember, we were the ones who kidnapped her, taking her out of the whole game. If she were still in Orb, then that fleet might never have set sail."_

"_No," Kira replied, shaking his head. "I believe it would have played out the same way." Everyone looked at Kira curiously. "Considered Cagalli's state of mind back then, I don't think she could've stopped it."_

"_But we're talking about now," Lacus said, walking over to Kira. "She's not the same." Cagalli looked up at Lacus. "Her eyes are much clearer now. I'm sure Cagalli sees things differently. Things that were once hidden are out in the open."_

"_Lacus…" Cagalli whispered. Everyone fell silent for a moment once more._

"_You know…" Samuel said, scratching his chin. "I've been thinking and I can't help but wonder how will ZAFT respond to this? Who will they send to meet this fleet?"_

"_You don't mean…" Cagalli stopped, gasping as she realized the answer._

_Samuel nodded. "__Yes. Durandal is sending the __Minerva__. Our agent onboard that ship has also confirmed that they are sending them and them alone to be the first line of defense at the Dardanelles."_

"_But why?" John pondered. "That doesn't make any sense. Why send it to meet such a decidedly dangerous force alone? Sure, they've got some formidable machines and pilots, but from a tactical standpoint, no one in their right mind would send a single warship, no matter how strong, to face a powerful enemy."_

"_Actually, it makes sense if you look at it from a non-tactical point of view," Samuel said. "__Think about how the war has played out, up until this point. The opening battle of the war and the retaking of Gibraltar are the only major battles in which the __Minerva__ did not participate since this whole affair started with the thefts at Armory One. And according to our intelligence, the __Minerva__'s battles have either ended in victory or a draw. It's a better track record than __Archangel__ had. Of the truly significant battles this ship was involved in, which of those did not end in some kind of disaster for its allies? Heliopolis, Artemis, the Advance Fleet, the 8__th__ Fleet, even Alaska and Orb. While this ship survived, those that fought alongside this ship ended up suffering terribly in most engagements you would in. The only significant victory for the __Archangel__ in that time was the Battle of Talbadiya against Commander Waltfeld and his team." Samuel paused, glancing around at the others. "Let me ask you, what at first glance, what does the __Minerva__ remind you of?"_

"_That's easy," Waltfeld replied. "When I first laid eyes on the __Minerva__, I couldn't help but think of the __Archangel__."_

"_And even the capabilities are remarkably similar," John added, nodding slightly. "The question is, why?"_

"_The __Archangel__, the Freedom, and Lacus. These three are among the most powerful symbols of the last war, of power, of peace, and of hope. The Archangel, the unbeatable warship that helped bring an end to the Bloody Valentine War. The Freedom, an unstoppable angel of war but yet never took a life in battle. And finally, Lacus Clyne, the great Songstress of Peace that led soldiers of ZAFT, of the Earth Forces and of Orb together to end the war. If you're looking to gain power over the world, for whatever reason, you need symbols of this level of power," Samuel explained. "Symbols can be incredibly powerful because of the influence they hold over people, who in turn, give the symbol its power. Lord Uzumi was one such symbol. He was more than just our leader; he was our conscience, the voice urging us to do what is right over what is easy. What's more, he's still a symbol for Orb, even in death. Those who still believe in Orb's ideals hold him as the foundation of Orb's briefs while those who lost loved ones during the Alliance attack on Orb in the last war and hate Orb for allowing that to happen, still hold him up as a symbol. Not at good one, but still a symbol."_

_Shinn Asuka's face briefly flashed in Cagalli's mind as he spoke. _"_So what you're saying is that you think Durandal is trying to emulate all three?" Andy asked. "That would explain the double, and the __Minerva__'s similarities to the __Archangel__, but what about the Freedom?"_

"_Get a pilot that seems to be better and more righteous than Kira…" Cagalli quietly said, the realization crashing down on her like a ton of bricks._

_Samuel nodded. "That's right. There are only two possible candidates on that ship."_

"_You mean Athrun and that kid, Shinn Asuka, don't you?" Flay asked, thinking back to her time on the Minerva._

_"Yeah. I'd have to agree with you on that____,__" John said. "Asuka's machine more than similar to the Strike, it's almost a complete copy."_

"_And undoubtedly built with ex-Orb engineers," Samuel added before pausing for a moment. "You know, the more I look at this war, the more parallels I see between it and the last war. The Incident at Heliopolis, the Theft at Armory One."_

"_The Bloody Valentine Tragedy, Break the World," John added, nodding his head._

"_The Archangel and the Minerva," Murrue said._

"_The Strike and the Impulse," Kira added lastly. "Everything is repeating itself."_

_Samuel nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, too much so for it not to have been done on purpose. The question is, why?"_

"_A question for another time I'm afraid," Murrue said. "We have more pressing matters at the moment."_

"_Quite right. The Orb fleet, what shall we do about this?" Samuel asked, his eyes locked on Cagalli. "It's your call."_

_Cagalli was quiet for a moment, thinking everything over. Suddenly, her hand clenched into a fist. _"_Kira!" she said. "I need your help."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Go ahead and blame it on naïve sentiments," Cagalli said. "But… if possible, I want to stop this battle from happening. Orb… my homeland… must not participate in this war." She paused to take a breath. "No… not just Orb. The reality is, no nation should be fighting. Nobody should fight! We can't let the world go on fighting war after war!" She looked around at the bridge crew and the pilots before settling her gaze on Kira. "That's why I need your help, Kira. The world can still turn away. We can leave this misguided path. Even Orb."_

_Kira and Lacus glanced at each other and, sharing a smile, gave a slight nod._

"_Good," Samuel said, nodding his head in approval. "Let's go see if we can stop a battle."_

_End flashback

* * *

_

"It's true that, for certain reasons, I am presently away from the homeland," Cagalli said, speaking out on every frequency she could. "However, that does not change the fact that I, Cagalli Yula Athha, still hold the position of Chief Representative of the Orb Union. I hereby order you: the Orb forces must follow the nation's ideals, cease fighting, and withdraw their forces immediately!"

Aboard the Takemikazuchi, Yuna's face twisted slightly in shock and rage. How dare she try to pull this stunt! It had taken years of planning and tragedy for the Seirans to set Orb on the right path, and now, right in front of Captain Roanoke and that dangerous subordinate of his, she was trying to tear it all down?!

"_Yuna Roma Seiran,_" Roanoke's voice said over the radio suddenly. "_How do you explain this?_"

Nervously, Yuna picked up the phone on his armrest, putting it up to his ear. "Y-yes," he said. "Well, you see, it's a little…"

"_Who is that person?_" Roanoke impatiently asked. "_Is she really you're countries representative? If so, then why did she wait until this moment to appear out of nowhere with that ship? And then order your forces to withdraw?!_"

By this point, Yuna was sweating in fear. Everyone they had worked for was verge of becoming undone! If he didn't turn this around and fast, Orb would be in serious trouble.

"_If I don't get a satisfactory answer from you __immediately__,_" Roanoke continued. "_Things could get very sticky for you __and__ your nation, do I make myself clear?_"

"Y-yes," Yuna stuttered. "Well it's just… um… what I'm trying to say is…" Yuna gritted his teeth together. "She's just…" His thoughts turned back to the wedding, when the Freedom kidnapped Cagalli and tore her out of his grasp. "She's crazy! I don't know who she is!"

The officers of the Takemikazuchi all turned to Yuna, looking at him like he was insane… and their expressions concealed more than a little anger, as well.

Aboard the John Paul Jones, Neo smirked, and glanced at the monitors as an order he'd silently given while that idiot Yuna was sweating—he could tell _that_ even over the phone—was carried out. He glanced at the screen on his chair's armrest, showing the waiting mobile suits in the Jones's hold. "Get ready to deploy them," he ordered. "And send word to the rest of our ships to prepare for combat.

A moment later, on the screen, the eyes of the Specter, Gaia, Chaos, Abyss, Blu Duel, Verde Buster, Rosso Aegis, and Strike Noir flashed to life.

Aboard the Takemikazuchi, the officers began voicing objections.

"Lord Yuna, what are you talking about?!" Todaka said.

"That's the Strike Rouge sir!" Amagi added. "And take a look at the crest! That's Lady Cagalli's!"

"Look! Just because it's her mobile suit and her crest doesn't mean that it's her!" Yuna said, though it was rather obvious that he was just making excuses. "We just… we just don't know!"

"But sir, that's _her_ voice!" Amagi objected.

"It's… it's… someone… impersonating her!" Yuna exclaimed.

"What?!" Amagi said, sounding incredulous at best… and some thought he might've even sounded nearly mutinous.

"I can't tell!" shouted Yuna. "I know her best! After all, I am her husband!"

"Lord Yuna!" Todaka said.

"And… and if it is Cagalli… then she's been brainwashed!" Yuna roared, sounding increasingly crazy. "My… my real Cagalli is _sane_! She would never do something this stupid and make a fool out of me!"

"Lord Yuna!"

"What are you doing? Hurry up and attack, fools!" Yuna ordered. The officers froze in surprise. "I want you to shoot that accursed ship down! Prepare to attack!"

"How can you give that order?" Todaka asked.

"If we don't, the Earth Forces will attack us! And our country!" Yuna shouted, slamming a fist into his chair. "It was for the sake of Orb that I brought us out here! It's too let for us to turn around and say 'sorry, we quit'."

Todaka stared at Yuna for a moment before sighing. He was a soldier, first and foremost. They had their orders.

* * *

The Minerva

"Captain, maybe we…" Arthur started.

"Would you settle down for a moment?" Talia said, cutting Arthur off. "Our ship is at a serious disadvantage at the moment." Talia sighed. "What's going on? I can barely make any sense of all this. Can't see Orb actually withdrawing their forces now…"

Down in the hangar, most of the pilots were equally confused by what was going on. "___Commander Joule, should we launch?_"Tristan asked.

"No," Yzak answered, shaking his head. "Launching now could aggravate the situation, which is already bad enough. We'll wait and see what happens, and launch if we need too."

"___Yes sir__._"

"Well, this has certainly become…_interesting_," Saul commented. "But I can't help but wonder how they knew this battle was going to happen?"

Yzak shrugged. "That ship has a habit of showing when you least expect it."

* * *

The Takemikazuchi

"Aim missiles," Todaka ordered. "At the unknown mobile suit."

"Captain Todaka!" Amagi exclaimed, hoping he wouldn't.

"Don't trust their deception!" Todaka said, turning to face him and the other officers. "Attack the rebels!"

"Open fire!" Yuna shouted. Todaka turned back to face the screen, displaying the Strike Rouge, the Freedom, and the ___Archangel_ in the background.

_I'm counting on you Freedom_, he thought.

"Fire!"

Instantly, a barrage of missiles launched from the ___Takemikazuchi_, each and every one of them heading for the Strike Rouge. Almost everyone was stunned motionless in shock. They actually fired on the Strike Rouge?

_Almost_ everyone.

Kira didn't hesitate for even half a second, the Freedom rushing in front of the Strike Rouge. The targeting computer came up, locking onto each and every one of the dozens of missiles launched, and Kira snapped the Freedom into HiMAT mode, firing everything he had repeatedly, obliterating the entire wave in seconds, to the shock of all who had not personally seen what the Freedom was capable of.

"___Orb____fleet, what are you doing?!_" Cagalli exclaimed. "___I said__-_"

_"It's pointless Cagalli,"_ Samuel said over the comm. _"Whoever's in command is either completely loyal to the Seirans, or more than likely, being threatened by the Atlantic Federation to fire or Orb will burn again. I was afraid of this, but we have no choice now. We're deploying the others."_

As he spoke, the catapult decks of the Archangel, the John Paul Jones and the remaining Alliance carriers opened their hanger doors.

"Flay Allster, Strike Raven, here I go!" Flay called out as she was shot free of the Archangel's catapult.

"Treize Zabiarov, launching," Treize said, the Specter leaping off the hangar deck of the John Paul Jones.

More mobile suits launched. Sting took the air, following Treize, with Reccoa, Maia, Rezin, Gyunei and numerous Windams taking off behind them. Auel leapt into the air, transforming the Abyss to mobile armor mode as he landed in the water, and the Gaia leapt to the top deck of the John Paul Jones. From the Archangel, the Forbidden and the Guardian launched, skimming over the surface of the water. Next came the Raider, transforming to provide a platform for the Calamity. Finally, the Farsight emerged from one of the catapult decks and then jumped onto the deck of the Archangel, its sniper rifle ready.

"Good," said Neo, standing up from his chair. "There was a little confusion with that strange interlude, but it looks like it's worked out to our advantage. Now that it's wounded, this is the perfect chance to take out the Minerva."

* * *

The Minerva

"Arthur, intercept!" Talia ordered as missiles from the EA/Orb taskforce streaked towards them.

"Yes ma'am," the XO replied, the CIWS guns already opening fire on the closest of the missiles.

Talia looked over her shoulder at Meyrin. "Meyrin, have them launch," she said. "Launch all the mobile suits!"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

"_Attention! All remaining mobile suits are to be launched at once!" _Meyrin's voice said over the intercom. _"I repeat, all…"_

"You heard the lady," Yzak barked as the catapult doors opened before him. "Get ready to launch."

Across from him, Dearka's ZAKU was loaded into the other catapult.

"Yzak Joule. ZAKU Duel, launching."

"Dearka Elsmen. ZAKU Buster, taking off."

With that, the two of them took off, followed by Saul and Nicol, and then Tristan and Gekido.

* * *

"The Freedom and the White Devil," Treize said, staring out into the battle. "Such a hard choice." He started laughing. "Who am I kidding? No it's not."

The Specter took off, heading for the Freedom and the Strike Rouge.

Suddenly, both he and Kira paused, feeling an odd shutter crawl up their spines. Kira turned towards the source of the feeling while Treize completely ignored it.

"Hmph. What kind of fool are you? Do you really think you can just stop a battle with words?! Get off the battlefield weakling, before I gut you!!" Treize roared, racing for the Strike Rouge and the Freedom, taking aim at Cagalli with his multi-phase beam cannon.

"Cagalli, get back!" Kira called out to his sister as he moved in between her and the Specter, firing his beam rifle, throwing Treize's aim off as he fired, missing them entirely.

"The Freedom…I've battled you dozens of times in simulations," Treize eagerly said, dodging Kira's beams as he drew his revolvers. "Let's see if you're better than the simulations!"

The Specter banked right, firing at the Freedom. Kira pulled his shield over the Freedom's chest as he shot back and banked to his right. But neither managed to hit the other. The two pilots stopped for a moment, eyeing the other, waiting for them to make the next move.

Treize struck first, throwing his shield at his opponent. Kira slapped it away with his own shield, but the second he did, the Specter slammed into him. The Freedom was thrown back, but Kira quickly caught himself and fired his rifle, forcing Treize back. Kira didn't let up, switching into HiMAT mode, bringing all of the Freedom's firepower to bear against the Extended. Treize cursed as he fought to dodge the beams and high-velocity rounds. A single round from one of the Xiphias railguns grazed the Specter's left ankle, but other than that, Kira failed to hit him.

"Damn…" Treize said, breathing heavier than normal. "You're pretty good. Just like I expected. The-" Suddenly, he fired his revolvers. But his aim was off and the beams flew passed the Freedom.

But they both knew that Kira wasn't the target, Cagalli on the other hand, who was watching the battle, didn't until the twin explosions appeared behind the Freedom. Debris from a pair of Murasames that had tried to sneak up on Kira fell to the waters below. Kira scowled, angered at the loss of life. He knew that had he tried to protect them, it would have left him open to an attack from the Specter or the two Murasames themselves.

"What…Why do you do that?!" Cagalli demanded, furious at the deaths of Orb two pilots at the hands of their so-called ally. "They were your allies!"

Treize let out a chuckle. "Allies? Ha ha ha! Orb is nothing but a parasite that clings to the strong out of fear," he replied, twirling his revolvers. "No one will give a damn if I exterminate a few parasites who foolishly tried to interfere with the battles of the strong."

"You bastard!" Cagalli screamed, firing at the Specter.

But Treize dodged and sidestepped every shot she threw at him before he fired back a single shot, piercing her rifle. "Just another parasite, cowering in the shadow of someone strong," he said, still twirling the revolver he didn't fire. "But don't worry; your pathetic existence is at an end."

Treize suddenly stopped twirling his gun and fired both at Cagalli…but only squeezed off a few shoots before Kira moved in front of the Strike Rouge, shielding her while at the same time, a red mobile armor slammed into the Specter.

As the Specter was thrown back, the Savior transformed back into a mobile suit and Athrun fired on the dark mobile suit. But Treize was faster, killing his thrusters, causing the Specter to plummet down, avoiding the beams. Athrun turned to Kira and Cagalli. "Are you alright, Cagalli?"

"Athrun?"

"Yeah, it's-"

"You again!!" Treize roared, firing at the Savior as he soared back up to them. "What is with you and interrupting other people's fights?!"

"Athrun, protect Cagalli," Kira ordered, lunged at the rising Specter as he drew his beam sabers.

Treize jumped back, narrowly evading Kira's sabers. He pressed the attack, swinging sabers at the Specter one after the other, forcing Treize to focus on dodging the blades. He and his machine were fast, but it only allowed Treize to stay just ahead of Kira's attacks. Suddenly, Kira changed tactics, swinging his left leg into the Specter's body. Treize staggered back, but drew his own sword as Kira lunged at, blocking his saber. "I'm not going down that easily!"

* * *

As the Specter and Freedom clashed, the Saviour turned to face the Strike Rouge.

"What are you doing here Cagalli?" Athrun asked.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing!" she replied. "Why did you return to ZAFT? How can you trust Durandal, with that Meer Campbell girl? And why the HELL ARE YOU LETTING HER HANG ALL OVER YOU?!!"

Athrun winced. Oh, that was so not good. If Cagalli knew, Kira definitely knew as well. He wondered how much of him each would be getting to tear to shreds. Come to think of it, he should've known they'd find out. Lacus always had a way of finding things out. After the last war, the members of what they dubbed the Clyne Faction, had gone their separate ways, yet still kept in touch. And anyone living in the PLANTs had more than likely seen the magazines or anything else on Meer. There wasn't a chance in hell of her not finding out and letting those two know about Meer.

But that brought up the question: how had she found out Meer's actual identity? Athrun knew that even the bulk of the Supreme Council was likely in the dark on that one.

"Answer me Athrun!" Cagalli demanded.

"Because she needs to be credible!" Athrun sharply replied. "She's the only thing keeping the people of the PLANTs from losing their cool the way people here on Earth are!"

"And why do you think that is?" Cagalli shot back. "That girl's disgusting, and so is the way Durandal's using her to exploit Lacus!"

"If he knew where Lacus was, that wouldn't be necessary!" Athrun argued.

"He damn well–"

Whatever Cagalli had been about to say was lost, though, as a barrage of beams flew at the two, forcing them to break apart. They turned to the source to see the Rosso Aegis flying at them, its rifle and chest cannon blazing.

Athrun fired on the Rosso Aegis, but Gyunei evaded the shot. He wasn't some pathetic second generation Extended. He was a third generation Extended! The best of the best!

Gyunei returned fire, forcing Athrun to shift to mobile armor mode to dodge, the beginning of a vicious dogfight that drew Athrun far away from the Strike Rouge.

* * *

Elsewhere

Shinn dodged a shot from the Chaos's beam rifle, only to then be forced to pull up to avoid a barrage from the Abyss below, as the blue mobile armor also fired off a barrage of torpedoes at the Minerva.

The Earth Forces were playing it smart—they were mixing in some very tough opponents with their horde of Windams, and it was giving them an extreme edge, as each of the Minerva's pilots became preoccupied with one of those more advanced machines.

'_Focus__,'_ Shinn thought. _'__Focus, damn it!'_

After dodging several missiles, Shinn took aim at the Chaos with his rifle. However, rather than obey his instinct to fire and hope he hit something, Shinn carefully aimed the rifle, allowing another attack to be sent his way.

But he didn't take the shot. Not until… there!

The Impulse's beam rifle lit up, the single shot skewering the Chaos's right arm. "What the-?!" gasped Sting as his machine's right arm detonated. "ARGH!" Sting shifted to mobile armor mode and deployed his weapon pods, attempted to attack the Impulse from three sides.

"Think," Shinn told himself, fighting down panic. He'd never been able to handle these weapons very well. But he remembered what those he saw did against them. Remembering how Rey and Suiren moved against that mobile armor, he tried to emulate how they moved with some success, avoiding and blocking the worst of the beams while only a few grazed the Impulse. Shinn dodged the missiles from one pod, his shield already raised to intercept the beam cannon shot from the second pod. The Chaos, he knew, was coming up behind him, likely with its beam claws ready to slice him to pieces.

But he had to get that pod!

The Impulse's rifle fired again, an instant before Shinn cut the thrusters to his machine, allowing it to fall from the sky for a few seconds, just barely evading the Chaos's claws as the first of the remote weapon pods detonated.

Nearby, a pair of Windams fired on the Guardian, but Liz pulled down her backpack, deflecting their beams with her shields. As the beams flew off away from her, Liz struck, driving her spear in the chest of one Windam before turning to face the remaining one, her pack sliding back into its close-combat position and firing her beam cannons at it.

Suddenly, the Strike Noir appeared, firing its beam rifles at her, but like the Windam's beams, they were deflected away from her. "What?! No fair! I hit you!" Maia shouted. "You're supposed to die!"

"It's going to take more than that to kill me!" Liz yelled back, lunging at the Strike Noir.

Maia jumped back, throwing away her rifles and drawing her beam blades. She then struck back, swinging her swords down at the Guardian. Liz sidestepped her attack and swinging her own spear, slamming the staff part of it into the Strike Noir's side, throwing it off balance. As the dark mobile suit stumbled away, Liz twirled her spear in her hands. "Like I said, it's going to take a lot more than that."

A little closer to the Minerva, Rey and Lunamaria stood almost back to back, firing on various Windams and Murasames that were trying to reach the Minerva when the Verde Buster approached. "Take this!" Rezin roared, firing her machine's beam rifles and cannons at the pair.

But to her surprise, the ZAFT pilots activated the thrusters on their machines and leapt into the air, pushing their Guuls down as the beams sliced harmlessly through the air they no longer occupied. Luna's Orthros cannon lit up the sky while Rey blasted off a barrage of Firebee missiles at the Verde Buster. Rezin dodged these attacks, but as the two ZAKUs landed back on their Guuls, another shot from Luna forced her to pull up to evade, only to be struck by a barrage of missiles from Rey's Guul.

Not far away, Nicol and Saul battled a group of Windams and Murasames. While they weren't up to their level of skill, they made up for it with numbers and sheer determination. Saul managed to shoot down two Windams and slashing open the chest of a third while Nicol took down a pair of his own, but more were coming. "Damn, these guys are stubborn," Saul said, firing on the advancing mobile suits.

"Well, so are we," Nicol replied.

"That we are."

Not far from there, Yzak clashed with Reccoa, one of his beam sabers striking her shield while the other blocked a blow from her saber.

As Reccoa's beam saber descended, Yzak raised his saber to block the blow while he thrust the other towards the Blu Duel's torso. Unfortunately, Reccoa instinctively twisted and he missed his target.

In the waters below, the Forbidden and the Abyss dueled, their two-handed weapons clashing. "Damn bastard," Auel growled, thrusting his lance forward, trying to impale the Forbidden. "Die!"

Shani swung his scythe, striking the side of Auel's weapon, slapping it away before following up with an attack of his own. But Auel kicked up, folding the Abyss's legs up, avoiding the scythe blade before driving them into the Forbidden's chest. Shani was thrown back as the Abyss transformed into its mobile armor mode and rammed the Forbidden.

"Gah! Damn pest!" Shani roared, swing at the much faster Abyss.

"Too slow!" Auel yelled back, firing a spread of torpedoes at the Forbidden.

In the skies above, the Raider and the Calamity fired on a cluster of Orb mobile suits. They destroyed more than they disabled. _"Boys, remember we're trying to avoid killing Orb soldiers here,"_ Lacus said over the comm.

"We know," Orga replied, tracking an Orb Murasame. "But they're moving around too much."

Orga fired his Todesblock bazooka, but Murasame pulled up, out of the path his shot and the beam struck a slower moving Astray, destroying it. "You missed, again," Clotho snarled in annoyance.

"Hey! I'd like to see you do better," Orga snapped back.

"Just watch me!"

Clotho fired his railgun at the Murasame Orga missed, hitting square in the back. The machine exploded. "What was that?" Orga asked, no more pleased then Clotho was.

"Shut up! Its cause your heavy ass is on top of me!" he shot back. "I wouldn't have missed if you weren't weighting me down!"

Suddenly, Clotho spun upside down, throwing the Calamity off of the Raider. "You idiot!" Orga cursed as he fell, somehow landing on top of a Murasame, in its mobile armor mode.

Unfortunately, the Orb pilot, shocked by the Calamity landing on him, lost control of his machine, sending it spinning downwards. Orga managed to push himself off of the Murasame and came to land on the deck of an Alliance ship as the Orb machine crashed into the sea. A pair of Windams moved towards him, firing on the Calamity. Orga fired back his Schlag cannons, destroying them both.

Above, Clotho transformed the Raider back, throwing his hammer at an Astray, sheering its head off. A Windam appeared, firing off its Jet Striker mounted missiles at him. Clotho fired his Zorn cannon and railguns in response, destroying the missiles before they could hit him. Then he fired on the Windam, beam and high-velocity rounds tearing through the mobile suit.

"Damn it!" Gekido cursed as he and Tristan were forced to pull back towards the Minerva under the sheer numbers of Earth Forces and Orb mobile suits.

Thankfully, all of the ace pilots of the Alliance were being distracted by pilots of the Minerva and the Archangel. Unfortunately, it was drawing nearly every pilot they had to do it, leaving the Minerva less than ideally defended.

A trio of Windams flew past them, firing off a spread of missiles at the Minerva. The ship's CIWS guns fired back, managing to take out a third of them and even shooting down one of the Windams. The remaining missiles struck the warship while the two Windams pulled back-

Only to be struck down by a burst of well aimed beams. Dearka lowered his high-energy rifle. "You guys need a hand?" he asked, firing his gun launcher at more Orb and Alliance machines

"Thanks. We sure could use it," Tristan replied as he fired on a Murasame.

Suddenly, two more Murasames, in their mobile armor mode, raced towards him, firing. Tristan dodged several of their shots, but in the end, a beam struck his Guul and it exploded, sending Tristan into the sea, making him a sitting duck. Both Dearka and Gekido were too busy with other mobile suits to help. Tristan swore as he tried to fight back.

But at that moment, beams pierced the Murasames, destroying them. Suiren appeared. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine. Just a little wet."

"Good, cause there's a lot more where that came from."

On top of the Archangel, John raised his sniper rifle, taking aim at an Astray. He fired off two shots, hitting its right arm and head. But John didn't stop, turning to another Orb mobile suit, which he proceeded to disable in the same manner. Unfortunately, there were still plenty of Orb pilots still fighting and with Kira distracted, there were going to be a lot of causalities.

Meanwhile, Heine, unlike most of his comrades, he had somehow managed to avoid getting into a fight with one of the Extended pilots, instead he was battling Alliance Windams. He lashed out with the GOUF's heat rod, coiling the weapon around the rifle of a Windam. The electric burst destroyed the rifle, but the pilot himself would be unharmed. Another flew at him, its rifle blazing. But Heine was faster, firing his right arm mounted beam guns at it, shredding it apart. A third appeared from behind him, trying to slice the GOUF apart with a beam saber. Heine struck back, spinning and delivering a kick to the Windam's chest.

Below him, down on one of the small, rocky 'islands' that lined the straight, the Gaia in mobile armor mode, which had left the John Paul Jones, watched Heine battle the Windams. It turned its beam cannons on the GOUF Ignited and fired. But Heine caught it out of the corner of his eyes and dodged several blasts.

"Oh yeah?!" he said, flying down towards the Gaia. He swung the heat rod once, smacking the Gaia in the back with his Slayer Whip. The electric shock momentarily stunned the Gaia and its pilot, allowing Heine the chance to lash out again, knocking the Gaia back, though this time, Stella recovered just in time to avoid landing on the Gaia's back by shifting to mobile suit mode. Stella raised her rifle, aiming it at the GOUF, which had landed on the ground, but the Slayer Whip suddenly coiled around it. Stella gasped in surprise.

"This is no ZAKU pal!" Heine yelled. "No ZAKU!"

The Slayer Whip released its electric shock, overloading the Gaia's rifle. Stella released it and raised her shield as a defense against the explosion.

"Bastard!" Stella cried out, drawing a beam saber and charging forward. She slashed left, but the GOUF ducked under the blade. But as it stood back up, Stella swung her saber back to the right, and Heine only just barely intercepted with his shield, the GOUF knocked back. "I won't lose here!"

Stella thought of the most important person in world to her. Neo. He needed her to win. He needed her to help defeat these enemies. Their enemies were strong, but she was strong too.

Heine righted his GOUF, preparing to strike back at the Gaia, but he found the black Gundam already leaping at him in mobile armor mode, Griffon 2 beam blades deployed. Heine raised his shield to deflect the blade, but before it even connected, the Gaia shifted to mobile suit mode, bunkering down low, and lashed out with an upwards kick, connecting with the GOUF and sending it flying back into the air. As Stella landed, she transformed back into her mobile suit mode. She then rushed forward, swinging her beam saber, and Heine just barely managed to twist away from a fatal blow before drawing his sword.

"I can see why the others have been having problems with you guys," Heine commented. "But don't think that I'll go down that easily!"

* * *

In the skies, near the Archangel, a Murasame charged at Cagalli, firing its rifle wildly. Cagalli aimed at it, trying to make herself squeeze the trigger, but… but…

She was Orb's Chief Representative! How could she possibly fire on one of her own people?!

At that instant, a beam tore through the Murasame's arm from below, severing it. Cagalli glanced down, John lowered his rifle. "If you can't fire, then get out of here Cagalli!" he said. "What'll happen to Orb if you get shot down?"

As he spoke, an Astray Shrike opened fire on the Strike Rouge. John pulled up his rifle and fired. A beam tore through the Astray's rifle. Without its main weapon, the Orb pilot wisely retreated. Cagalli felt tears form in her eyes as her thoughts drifted to her father's words to the people of Orb only a few years ago.

_"__We vow not to attack another nation, not to allow another nation to attack us, and not to intervene in the conflicts of other nations. We of Orb have been able to maintain these ideals in an era of sweeping changes, because we believe it is the most basic and important component of the framework we humans call a nation."_

John shifted his attention and rifle to an incoming wing of Murasames and fired. "Stop this, you fools!" John angrily yelled as fired. "This is a pointless battle!"

_"__Like-minded individuals gathered together in the spirit of peace and harmony. As we face the present situation, I still believe this to be true. The Earth Forces are threatening to attack us unless we join their camp; however, in light of our beliefs, we cannot comply with their demands."_

Flay fired her rifle on an Earth Forces Windam, piercing its waist. She spun around, raising her shield to block the shot of a Murasame, and then fired back. While she was aiming for its head, she ended up hitting its upper torso, causing the mobile suit to explode.

_"__For to accept that would be to accept the invasion of the most essential principles of Orb… no, the most important principles of humanity itself. The Earth Forces vow that they will attack us if we do not tow the line and fall in with them; however, we cannot submit to their ultimatum! For if we agree to join them, then the day would eventually come when we as a country would be asked to fight against other countries; other nations, whose only crime is that they are the enemies of the Earth Forces."_

Unlike the machines from the Archangel, most of the ZAFT pilots shot down their enemies, both Earth Alliance and Orb, indiscriminately. Shinn, in particular, ruthlessly gunned down any Orb mobile suit that came into his sight. Others were simply just doing all they could to defend themselves and their ship.

_"__We will not allow another nation to attack us! This is integral to Orb's ideals, and we will defend them right to the end! But my fellow citizens, unfortunately, the threat is at our very doorstep."_

"Damn it!" Cagalli shouted, tears in her eyes and voice as she slammed a fist against the cockpit of the Strike Rouge. If only she hadn't been so weak, and now, with the situation as it was, she couldn't stop it until she could make the Seirans accede control of Orb, something they wouldn't do unless they could be somehow tricked into doing so!

* * *

Treize's Tempest sword came down on the Freedom, but Kira pulled up his shield, blocking the strike. Kira pushed him back as he swung his saber, narrowly missing the Specter's left arm before following up with a kick. "Argh!" Treize screamed as he stumbled back for a moment before righting himself. "You're…You're just as good…No…You're better than the simulations. Good. It will make my victory all the greater!"

In the back of Treize's mind, a black seed shattered. Kira froze, recoiling from the dark aura now radiating from the Specter. Suddenly, the machine began to immolate with black fire. Kira let a gasp in disbelief. "What the…" Kira uttered, blinking a few times, trying to see if his eyes were deceiving him.

When he opened his eyes again, the fire was gone, leaving no trace on the Specter. Even then, Kira was still unsettled by what he had seen and by what he still felt, an aura of pure rage and bloodlust.

Treize roared, rushing Kira once more, his sword held above his head. Kira raised his shield, blocking the downward swing of the sword. But Treize didn't stop, pulling his sword up and then slamming it down again repeatedly. The Freedom was being pushed back by the furious rain of sword swings. Kira knew he had to break his momentum before his shield gave way. He spun the Freedom, attempting to kick the Specter again, but this time Treize was faster and counted with his own kick, locking their legs together as they tried to overpower the other. Treize smirked, drawing his left revolver. "Shit!" Kira swore, rushing to pull away from the Specter.

Kira broke the leg lock and dove down, a beam narrowly missing his head. Treize started to laugh. "Come on! Show me everything you have! Throw everything you have at me and see how it amounts to nothing!"

It had been quite awhile since Kira had fought at this level. Not since his battle with Rau Le Creuset at Jachin Due had he been this challenged by someone. And just like Creuset, this pilot radiated his own, albeit different, aura of malevolence. "Alright then," Kira quietly replied, a purple seed spinning for a moment in his own mind before it burst. "I'm not going easy on you anymore!"

Kira struck back, swinging his sabers down on the Specter's shoulders. Treize pulled up his sword, blocking the sabers before they could hit him, as that happened, Kira drove his knee into the Specter, driving it back.

Treize laughed as he moved his sword in front of him. "Good… This going to be one hell of a fight!"

With that, the two struck.

* * *

Yzak roared as he swung his saber down on the Blu Duel, but Reccoa blocked it with her own. At that instance, the Blu Duel's Scorpion railgun pivoted and fired, tearing off the ZAKU Duel's head, knocking Yzak off balance. Reccoa followed up, swinging at Yzak, but he managed to jump back. Unfortunately, due to the sudden lost of his main camera; he lost his right forearm in the process.

"Dammit," Yzak cursed as he raised his remaining saber in front of him defensively. He had gotten careless and was starting to pay for it.

"Yzak! Look out!" Saul called out.

At that moment, two Windams appeared behind him, one with a rifle, and the other with a beam saber. The Windam with the saber charged as his comrade laid down covering fire. But Saul was able to take out the rifleman before he could more than a few shots off while Yzak sidestepped the charging Windam and ran his saber through it. But at that moment, Reccoa struck as well, swinging her beam sabers through the ZAKU's legs and Yzak's machine fell.

Suddenly, Nicol swooped down, grabbing the ZAKU Duel. "I got you Yzak," he said as they headed for the Minerva. "You alright?"

"Fine," Yzak grumbled. "Damn that imposer! If I had my Duel, things would have been different."

Reccoa moved to intercept the pair when Saul fired at her, forcing her back. "You're going to have to go through me first," Saul said.

"So be it," Reccoa replied, switching to her beam guns.

* * *

"Take this!" Auel roared, ramming into the Forbidden.

Shani was thrown back by the mobile armor, nearly losing his scythe. As soon as he righted himself, the Abyss rammed him again, but this time Shani held on with one hand, slamming the sharp end of this scythe into its body. However, it did little against Phase Shift Armor. "Give it up, stubborn bastard! You can't beat me!" Auel shouted, stopping and throwing the Forbidden from his machine so he could fire his torpedoes at it.

What he was unaware of was that Shani had jammed his scythe into one of his torpedo tubes, and when he had just thrown the Forbidden off, the end of scythe broke off and stayed lodged in the tube. Auel squeezed the trigger…

The Abyss's left shoulder exploded. Auel transformed his mobile suit back, what was left of the shoulder, hanging by a tread. "You…you…you bastard!" a furious Auel shouted. "I'll get you for that!"

"Just try it!" Shani shot back, ready for more.

Auel scowled, but didn't move. The damage to the Abyss was severe. He couldn't stick around. "Next time," he replied, pulling back to the John Paul Jones.

* * *

Elsewhere, the Freedom and the Specter continued their graceful dance of battle. Like a pair of ancient swordsmen, they clashed, their blades meeting constantly. Every move one took, every attack they launched, was countered, parried, blocked or dodged by the other before they replied with their own strike, only to be met with a counter, repeating the endless cycle. Kira swung his beam saber in a low horizontal arc, intending to slice off the Specter's legs, but Treize leaped up, pulling up the Specter's legs while swing his sword down on the Freedom's head. The Freedom's shield shot up, slapping the dropping blade to the side. Treize then followed up by slamming its feet into the Freedom's upper body, knocking Kira back. Both pilots paused, allowing themselves a moment to recover from their fierce fighting.

"It seems that we are evenly matched. If it wasn't for my power restrictions, we could do on fighting until the end of time. It appears I have only one option left," Treize said, pulling his hands from the Specter's controls. "Never have I willingly done this before, but I think it's warranted, just this once." Treize reached for the control device to his drug administer, located on his left wrist, and set it to its maximum setting, well beyond the safe range.

Treize let out a loud howl as more drugs entered his system. His heart raced as his veins began to bulge out of his skin. Red filled his vision as Treize tightly gripped the Specter's controls. "DIE!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, lunging at Kira with his Tempest sword.

Kira jumped back, dodging the blade as he thrust his own saber forward. The Specter sidestepped the beam blade and drove its knee into the Freedom. As Kira was thrown back, the Specter struck again, but Kira barely managed to raise his shield in time. It didn't stop Treize for long however, as he began furiously beating the Freedom's shield with his sword. While the Extended attacked his shield, Kira deactivated his beam saber, placing it back on the Freedom's waist before reaching for his rifle. He pulled the weapon up, but at that moment, the Specter's sword came down hard on his shield, knocking it aside. Kira fired his rifle, the beam grazing the left side of the Specter's torso, cutting out a strip of his armor.

But it stopped the berserker Extended for all of a second. Treize roared as continued to wildly swing his sword at the Freedom. Kira fought to block and evade the sword, losing the bottom portion of his shield in the process. He then threw the damaged shield at the Specter, causing it stop as it sliced through it. Kira took off, using the temporary distraction get some distance between the Specter and himself, so he could effectively use the full power of the Freedom's HiMAT mode against it. But Treize wasn't about to let him get away and raced after him, tightly gripping his sword. It wasn't lost on Kira that Treize wasn't firing on him with his revolvers or beam cannon. _'He's become like a berserker,'_ Kira thought as he dove over a pair of Windams. _'He could have switched to his guns and fired at me instead of chasing after me with just his sword. If I can keep my distance, we won't attack me.'_

At that moment, the Specter reached the two Windams that Kira had flown over, but it didn't bother to avoid them. Treize sliced both in two as he passed them, his eyes never leaving the Freedom. At that moment, Kira flipped around, switching into HiMAT mode, taking aim as the Specter drew closer to him. He fired the beams and high-velocity rounds racing towards Treize. At the last second, Treize dove down, out the path of fire but Kira continued to fire, tracking him as he moved. _'I see. He's become faster and stronger, but he's only fighting on instinct and reaction. He isn't thinking. If I can-'_

The Specter drew too close for Kira to effectively use the HiMAT and as he folded his wings and railguns back, Treize slammed his machine into the Freedom. At that brief spilt-second, when the bodies of the mobile suits came into contact, both cried out in pain as what felt like red hot iron rod were stabbed into their brains.

"_Kill…" _Kira heard whispered into his mind by an unrecognizable voice. _"Kill…"_

As the Freedom was send backwards, away from the Specter, the pain faded, becoming a dull headache before disappearing altogether. Kira shook his head vigorously, trying to sort out what just happened. Was because he had come in close contact to the Specter's pilot? He could feel that the Specter was like him, possessing the awareness only a few had. But what had caused that…that interference for the lack of a better term? Could his awareness have been brought out artificially and had a negative reaction with his own when they came into contact? "Just who is this guy?" Kira wondered, staring at the Specter, which had come to a stop, just like him.

But it didn't stay immobile for long. A few moments, Treize was back up, raising his sword to strike at the Freedom again. "DIE!!!"

Kira jumped back as the Tempest sword swung at him. Treize snarled and continued to swing away at him, forcing Kira to leap back from him again and again as he reached for his beam sabers. Drawing them, Kira crossed the blades together as Treize swung his sword down, catching it. Suddenly, the Specter's free hand collided with the Freedom's head, breaking apart the crossing blades. Kira flipped the Freedom as he fell back, driving its feet into the Specter. The two stumbled back from the other and paused for a split-second before they roared and lunged forward, their blades clashing once more. Both fought with everything that they could muster, their blades striking each other repeatedly, but neither could manage to hit the other's mobile suit as they battled. Quickly, Kira found himself being pushed back by the sheer ferocity of Treize's blows. Treize swung his blade on a diagonal arc, meeting Kira's raised left saber. Kira stabbed his right blade forward, only to have Treize grab the Freedom's wrist, forcing the beam blade away from himself. The two remained there, locked in that position as they fought to overpower the other.

* * *

The John Paul Jones

Neo watched as the situation continued to unfold. Treize had gone berserk in his attempts to defeat the Freedom, Reccoa had crippled the blue ZAKU Phantom, Auel's machine had received severe damage while the remaining Extended were locked in duels with other pilots from the Minerva and the Archangel while their remaining pilots were able to hold back the worst of what the combined Earth Alliance/Orb fleet could throw.

There was no other option left.

He turned to Matthews. "Fire signal flares," he said. "We're withdrawing. We've lost the upper hand here."

"Yes sir," Matthews said with a nod.

"Next time, we'll be ready for the Archangel," Neo added as the flares soared into the air.

With the retreat signaled, all of the Earth Alliance and Orb pilots began to withdraw while their opponents from the Archangel and the Minerva pulled back towards their respective ships.

All expect for two…

The Freedom and Specter remained locked in battle, neither moving.

Neo scowled. "Treize, we're withdrawing. Return to the ship," he ordered over the comm.

But he didn't respond. Something he never did. "Treize! We're withdrawing! Return to the Jones at once!" Neo demanded, growing annoyed at his subordinate. Again, there was no response from Treize. "Very well then, you leave me no choice. 13 Omega Red."

Those three words pierced the red haze that clouded Treize. For an instant, he stood there, his eyes wide in surprise. But it passed and he began to scream in agony, his body shuttering violently. The pain was too much, shattering his berserker rage. He had to withdraw…to get back to the ship…and the doctors…before it was too much…

Treize head-butted the Freedom, breaking the stalemate they had been in and raced back towards the John Paul Jones with the same speed he had used to chase the Freedom earlier, ignoring everything else.

Kira watched him and the remaining Orb and Earth Alliance pilots retreat, breathing heavily. Once again, he was reminded of his fierce battles from the last war, against Le Creuset, against the former Biological CPUs, against Athrun and his teammates. Even the dread he had always felt in the back of his mind every time they withdrew, knowing that he would end up facing them again in battle, and that he may not be so lucky the next time. He knew they would face each other again in combat, he could feel it. The only question was; how would that encounter end?

* * *

Now, Maileesaeya and I have decided that we're going to work on the next couple of chapters together and then post them together, so you're going to have to wait a while before the next update from us.

As always, review.


	25. Phase Twenty Three: Crossing Glances

Yo everybody! We're back! Maileesaeya and I have worked hard these two chapters together and here's the first of them for your enjoyment. Now, Mail is responsible for most of this chapter, while I am responsible for most of the next chapter, which will be up tomorrow at the latest.

**Phase Twenty-Three: Crossing Glances**

The John Paul Jones

Neo shook his head, surveying the damage to the hangar caused by the Specter's wild thrashing as it crashed into the ship.

He never liked using the block words, but given Treize's refusal to withdraw and the money invested in him, Neo didn't have much of a choice. Leaving him behind wasn't an option.

The hatch of the Specter's cockpit opened and Treize stumbled out, his helmet tossed aside. "RAAARGH!!!" he screamed, thrashing wildly on the ground.

Doctors rushed into the hangar as Treize's thrashing fell down to spasms of pain, and they quickly moved him onto a stretcher, rushing him from the hangar.

Watching all of this happen, Gyunei laughed. "Ha! Look at what the self-proclaimed 'greatest of the Extended' has been reduced too!" he said mockingly. He never saw the blow coming for his stomach, followed by a decidedly vicious uppercut.

Maia glared at him, ready to hit him again. "Don't laugh at Big Brother," she said.

"Why you–"

"03 Omega Red."

Gyunei let out a roar of pain, thrashing about on the ground just as Treize had, drawing the attention of the remaining doctors. They all looked distinctly annoyed, and as soon as he also fell down to spasms, they likewise moved him onto a stretcher and rushed him from the hangar.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Rezin said. "The doctors will have their work cut out for them."

"Don't like him," Maia mumbled as she walked away.

* * *

The Minerva

"Damn it!" Shinn shouted, punching his locker after changing back into his uniform. "I can't _believe_ that! We could've actually won that battle if they hadn't interfered!"

"I understand you're frustration, Shinn," Heine said, calmly buttoning up his uniform. "But I'm not sure I agree with you. We'd only have gotten the Orb ships, for the most part, and the Freedom's presence did draw away the Specter. Given that the pilot was able to match the Freedom, I'd say that's a_ very_ good thing."

"We could've taken him!" insisted Shinn.

"Oh, so now you think you're better than the Freedom?" Yzak asked, sounding distinctly annoyed.

"At least I managed to keep my machine intact," Shinn angrily replied.

The damage done to Yzak's ZAKU had been great. So much so, that the tech crews were saying that it would be easier to replace it than repair it.

"What did you say?!"

"That's enough!" Nicol said, stepping in between the two. "Arguing about it won't solve anything. Just be glad that everyone made it back safely."

The two pilots glared at each other, but said nothing.

"He's right Shinn," Athrun said.

Shinn sighed. "You're right," he replied. "But it doesn't mean that I'm happy about what happened."

"So what now?" Tristan asked, trying to change the subject.

"We're making for the port of Tarcuius for repairs," Suiren's voice called out as she entered the room. "We took a fair bit of damage all around out there. We'll probably be stuck at port for at least three days, maybe more."

"Anything else we're supposed to be doing when we get there?" Gekido asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Suiren replied. "Unless we receive alternative orders, I think we can all take this opportunity for a bit of real shore leave."

"Well, at least you'll be able a new ZAKU Yzak," Dearka commented.

"A ZAKU?" Heine chuckled. "Why have a simple ZAKU, when I can get you a brand new GOUF?"

* * *

The Archangel

"Damn it!" Cagalli shouted, punching the wall furiously—repeatedly. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"

While the Lioness of Orb vented her frustrations, the other pilots calmly changed back from their pilot suits to their uniforms, all keeping well away from her. As Kira left the lounge, he found Lacus and Flay waiting for him. A slight nod was shared between them before they started walking down the corridors.

"The pilot of the Specter," he said, glancing at Flay, flanking him on the left with Lacus on the right. "Do you have any idea about that?"

"None," Flay replied, shaking her head. "But I saw him at Armory One. He felt…wrong."

"When our machines came into direct contact…" Kira said. "I heard this voice. 'Kill', it said. It sounded like some kind of mantra."

"Well, you were in combat," Flay replied. "It's not that strange for him to be thinking kill."

"No," Kira said, shaking his head. "It was different. It was…it was strange. I just can't describe it. But he is dangerous. _Very_ dangerous."

"We could tell. There were times when it looked like you were going to lose," Flay commented.

"I know. There were times when I was thinking the same thing," Kira admitted before pausing for a moment. "He's not a Natural."

"He could be like Shain, Clotho and Orga," Lacus suggested.

"He is. I could tell," Kira said. "If-when, we encounter them again, stay away from him. I'll fight him."

* * *

The Minerva

"I can't fathom why they would do this," Athrun said, sitting on one of the couches in the Minerva's lounge. "I don't understand it at all."

The other FAITH pilot glanced at Athrun briefly before looking away. "The answers are something you'll have to find for yourself," Heine replied. "If you can't find those answers yourself, then you won't find the resolve to do what you must, either. What will you do?"

"I'm not sure," Athrun admitted. "I guess I'll have to go out and find the answers."

"We'll have several days before we head out again," Suiren suggested, who was sitting across from him. "Perhaps you should try and get in contact with them during that time?"

"What?"

"Now that they know you're a pilot aboard this ship, they'll seek you out," she said. "Like you, they'll want answers."

"That makes sense. After all, you were their comrade in the last war," Heine added, looking at Athrun. "The rest of us can hold down the fort here, so don't worry about that."

"But what if they come and try to attack us while we're still in port?" asked Athrun. Heine shook his head.

"No. Their ships may have been relatively undamaged, but their mobile suits took a heavy beating out there," he said. "They won't attack us under those conditions."

"Hmm… I'm curious, though," Suiren murmured. "Which machines will they prioritize the repairs on?"

"I don't really see how that's valid," Athrun said, earning chuckles from Heine.

"Actually, it's critical," he said. "Think about it: when your entire mobile suit force is crippled, which machines will you prioritize the repairs on? The ones with the most power or the ones with the best pilots?"

"I'd have to say the best pilots," Athrun said, nodding. "Okay, I see what you're saying."

"Of course, that's only for the Earth Forces. The Orb fleet doesn't have any special machines or pilots, so they would just focus on fixing their damaged machines. But even then, it's gonna take time. So go, see them, try to get some answers. But tell Yzak before you go, otherwise he'll get pissed off at everyone."

"Instead of only getting pissed off at me," Athrun blandly added.

The two pilots grinned. "Of course."

* * *

The Archangel

Flay let out a soft sigh, feeling the tension in her muscles fade away under the soothing heat of the shower, the sweat and dirt from piloting washing away easily.

She'd killed again today. It was almost strange, though—Andy had told her about his first kill, how it had turned his stomach, and how, just as he'd been told, he'd eventually get used to it.

Flay had gotten used to it. But, to no real surprise, the lives of the Orb pilots that she'd taken had twisted her stomach, badly. She idly wondered how the others were feeling, before her thoughts turned to the Specter, and she shivered, feeling as though the water pouring on her had suddenly turned to ice.

That machine and its pilot… It was a truly terrifying monster.

Flay shook her head, dispelling her thoughts on that machine, returning back to the past.

When the Strike Raven was first completed, Kira, Athrun, Andy and John had all volunteered to help teach her. After Chris died, she vowed that she would become stronger, to protect herself and their son. The others were more than willing to help.

Athrun had shown her how to handle the Raven Striker, but after that, he'd backed out, so that he could focus on his job as Cagalli's aide and bodyguard. The others taught her how to handle all of the Strike Raven as a whole. She was pretty good, and steadily improving. Out of the cockpit, she'd trained her skills as a marksman as well as unarmed combat with John and Andy.

Flay turned off the water, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, wrapping it around her body. Her thoughts turned down another avenue.

Alexander…

She knew he was safe with Reverend Malchio and the other children. But even then, she still worried about him all the time. And, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of world he would grow up in. After the end of the last war, everything had seemed so bright, that mankind had learned its lesson for a generation or two. How had it all fallen apart so quickly? Worse, would it happen again down the road, when her son was old enough to fight? Would he be stuck fighting the same war that had fought, that they were still fighting?

Flay shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she finished toweling off and began to get dressed.

* * *

The Minerva

Docked at the Port of Tacuius on the Sea of Marmara

The next day

"What? You think you can find that ship?" questioned Talia.

"Yes ma'am," answered Athrun, standing across the desk from her. "I'm sure you're aware of what's in my records captain. But I fought alongside that ship. During the Great War, I fought alongside the _Archangel_ against the ZAFT forces at Battle of Jachin Due. I know the person who's most likely piloting that mobile suit, the Freedom, as well as the crew of the _Archangel_. And it goes without saying, I know the Orb Representative we heard." Talia frowned as Athrun paused. "But that's just it. I know them so well that… I can't fathom why they would do this. I… I just don't understand it, ma'am."

"I know how you feel," replied Talia. "I don't understand it either, but…"

"I think that after Orb sided with the Earth Forces, all they wanted was to get them to stop fighting and go home," said Athrun. "But there must've been a better way they could've achieved their goals. A way that wouldn't have ended up with lives being sacrificed. Maybe they just don't understand the whole situation." Athrun sighed. "They don't know they're making a mistake."

"I'm sure Headquarters is going to want to take action on this," he continued. "In that case I think it's my duty to try and find them. When I talk to them, I can try and work out some kind of solution."

"And is that your judgment as a FAITH operative in the service of ZAFT?" asked Talia.

"Yes ma'am," replied Athrun. Talia sighed.

"Then I really don't have the authority to stop you," she said, turning to him and standing up. "I agree that the entire battle, which resulted in a pointless sacrifice, was unnecessary." Well, it was her opinion. The scenario would never repeat—but Talia wasn't going to go public with the confrontation between her and Suiren, which was why Athrun never had a chance of seeing the proof of it on Talia's cheek. "Although, who knows what might've happened if we had fought the Earth Forces without interruption. Very well. I understand." Talia sighed. "You have my permission to leave the ship. But will you be alright by yourself?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, ma'am," said Athrun, raising his hand in salute. "And thank you for obliging me."

Talia returned the salute.

A short while later, and the Savior, repairs complete, launched.

* * *

Tarcuius

The next day

"Yes," Miriallia said, holding the cell phone to her ear. "Yes. I understand. I'll find him." With that, Miriallia hung up the phone and sighed.

Ever since she first left on her job as a photojournalist, Miriallia's work for Terminal had simply been sending information back. This was the first time she received any specific orders.

Not that she could complain. In a way, it was really her own fault for taking such an interest in the _Minerva_ and following it all over the place. Besides, it had been good to actually hear from someone again, and after seeing the _Archangel_ at the Dardanelles Straight yesterday, well… she'd sort of been hoping for this.

Still… it was a pretty big city. She wondered where Athrun could be.

Miriallia walked down the stairs to street level. She supposed the best place to start would be closer to the _Minerva_ at the port. She glanced both ways, looking for any approaching cars. She was about to step onto the street when she heard one coming the left, and paused. She looked that way to see the vehicle come around the bend and, as soon as it passed her, ran across the street.

She was about to start down the stairs towards the harbor when a familiar voice called out.

"Miriallia! Miriallia Haw!"

"Huh?" she murmured, pausing and glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the voice. The vehicle that had just passed her stopped and the driver was half standing on his seat, looking back at her as he removed his glasses.

Mir couldn't believe her luck. "Athrun Zala?"

A short while later, the two were at a restaurant as Athrun finished explaining what he'd been doing. Mir knew at least some of it already, but few people knew that she her job as a photojournalist was mostly just a guise for her job as part of Terminal Intelligence.

"I see," she said. "And so, when the war began, you didn't stay with Orb. Instead, you went back to ZAFT." Somehow, despite her attempts to sound neutral, she felt like she was being negative about it.

Athrun looked away, almost guiltily. "Well, it's simplifying things, but that's what happened," he said. "Um… listen, I need to talk about the _Archangel_."

_'Perfect_,' thought Mir, putting on an expression of confusion.

"See, I knew that your old ship had left Orb, but why in the world did it end up here?" he explained. "When it interfered… things got a little…"

"A little messy?" Mir replied. Seeing Athrun's confused expression, she continued, reaching into her bag. "I know all about it. I saw the whole thing from beginning to end." She slid him the photos she pulled out—photos she'd taken of the battle. He rifled through a few before setting them down. "What do you want to accomplish by searching for the _Archangel_?"

Mir knew they wanted to talk to Athrun too. She hid a wince, thinking about that fake Lacus.

"I just want to talk," Athrun explained. "I want to meet with them. With Kira and Cagalli too."

He had guts, she'd give him that much. That or a death wish. "Even though… you're a member of ZAFT again?" She challenged.

"But that's…!" Athrun started before falling silent.

"Alright," Mir said. "It can be arranged. I can put you in touch, as long as it's just you."

"Huh?"

"It's my country," she continued. "But I haven't been back to Orb in a long time. I don't exactly know what's happening there. But I can't imagine anyone being happy about this situation." As she spoke, she reached out and picked up the photos she'd handed to Athrun. The one on top showed the Freedom, just after it had knocked away the Specter. "Especially Kira."

* * *

"The war is progressing as planned. Both sides are building their support with the people. Eventually, the breaking point will be reached and everyone will be divided into two camps," the Prophet said. "Then the true war will begin."

"And then all hell will break out," Jester commented, his mask a spatter of colors and a large grinning mouth.

"Indeed. The fires of war will burn Earth, searing itself into the minds of the people. They will cry out for retribution and then the horrors of Jachin Due will be born again. Whether the Requiem of the PLANTs, the Genesis of Destiny, or the Songstress's Song of Peace plays at the end, we will win. For the sins of their leaders will never be forgotten by the people. When our revolution begins, they will flock to our banner." The Prophet stopped, turning attention to his subordinates once more. "Now, how are our plans progressing?"

"Ragnarok has just reported some tremendous success. Reinhart has finished the BIO-Sensor prototype," Abyss reported. "Unfortunately, it is too powerful for the pilots to handle. Out of three test pilots, two have died from brain aneurysms while the third has had a complete mental breakdown. However, they have begun work on a less powerful, but safer version of the system."

"What of the machines they are building?"

"They are progressing quite well. The first prototype has been finished and is currently in the trail phase. But once everything checks out, Durandal will be sending it to war."

The Prophet nodded his masked head. "What of Lodonia and the Extended?"

"There has been a slight problem with that," Harlequin replied. "While Andras and the other key personnel have already moved to the new facilities, it seems that while liquidating the old facility, the subjects revolted. It was a massacre. Only a handful of Alliance personnel escaped. However, the facility was not destroyed and the area is more or less ZAFT controlled or held by ZAFT sympathizers."

"So much for Durandal's claim of not seeking to acquire more territory. Shouldn't you be speaking out against that?" Scorpio, his mask white with a black scorpion painted on it, asked.

"It's hard to," Harlequin admitted. "Durandal has been careful. He's only stationing ZAFT forces in areas that have asked for help or ZAFT protection because their leaders are too afraid to get involved with things and think that Durandal will protect them."

"He'll only enslave them as he will with all of humanity should he succeeded in this war," Scorpio said.

"It is of no importance," the Prophet said. "Even if they do find the facility, it will have no impact on things. No records of the new facilities will be on the hard drives. No one will know of the new facilities." He turned his attention to Abyss once more. "What of Durandal and the PLANTs? How have things progressed there?"

"Everything in the PLANTs is progressing as planned. However, we have a problem. One that could ruin everything."

"What?"

"It seems that Defense Committee Chairman Kessel has figured out Durandal's connection to Break the World."

"Has he now?" Scorpio said with a chuckle. "That's a surprise."

"Where is he now and who has he told?" the Prophet demanded.

"No one outside of the investigation team. Mr. Kessel appears to be enraged over what he's learned and is moving to confront Durandal personally as we speak," Abyss answered.

The Prophet shook his head. "It could ruin everything. Get rid of him and those he's been working with recently. This war cannot end yet."

* * *

The Minerva

"A reconnaissance mission?" Shinn asked. "That's what you want us to do?"

Arthur had called him, Rey, Tristan, and Gekido for an unexpected meeting, which, oddly enough, Luna, Suiren, Heine and the rest were not attending. In fact, nobody had seen Luna since yesterday, around the time Athrun left.

"That's right," Arthur answered. "It's a formal order straight from Headquarters."

"So what exactly is the mission?" Rey asked.

"We've received some information from a local resident," Arthur answered, indicating a location on the map of the Tarcuius area with his pointer. "Apparently, there's some kind of research facility connected to the Earth Alliance in the backwoods of the area. There's not much happening there now, but it is of significant size. And, in the past, the locals have noticed a lot of vehicles, including mobile suits, coming and going." Arthur collapsed the pointer. "We want the five of you to head out early tomorrow morning and check on it."

"You want to use us for this lame job?" Shinn said, less than pleased by the assignment.

"For once, I agree with him," Gekido added. "I mean the four of us for this? Wouldn't one of the Commanders be better for this?"

"First, this job is certainly not 'lame'," Arthur sternly said. "What if, for example, you find it's an armory filled with weapons?"

"Oh… yeah," Shinn murmured.

"It's an _extremely_ important mission," Arthur said. "But the potential risk isn't great enough to warrant one of the higher-ups for mere reconnaissance. Rey, you'll be in charge of this mission."

"Yes sir," answered the blonde.

"Right," Arthur said with a nod. "Dismissed, and good luck."

* * *

Outside Durandal's Office

Aprilius One

Ian Kessel stormed into the reception area outside Chairman Durandal's office, a file folder in his hands. He couldn't believe it. His investigation into Break the World had come to an end. He had found the mastermind behind the attack, but he couldn't believe it. It just didn't seem possible. But yet, he had seen it with his own eyes. There was no doubt of his guilt. "Is the Chairman in his office?" he asked the secretary.

"Yes, but-"

"Leave. _Now_."

The woman stared at him for a moment before leaving, clearly confused by what was going on. Ian ignored her, practically slamming the doors to the Chairman's office. The chair at Durandal's desk was turned away from the door, but he could tell that Durandal was there. "You bastard! How many lives have been lost because of what you've done?! How many lives were lost in Break the World and what has followed it?! And for what?! What was this death and bloodshed for?!" he shouted, pouring out the contents of the folder onto the desk. Copies of records of the creation of the GINNs and Flare Motors used in Break the World, all signed by Durandal, scattered across the desk. "It doesn't matter now. Gilbert Durandal, by the power of the office of Defense Committee Chairman, I am here by placing you under arrest for crimes against humanity."

Durandal's chair spun around to face him. But it wasn't Durandal, it was one of his FAITH agents. "You?! Where is the Chairman?!"

"That doesn't matter. For you won't leave this room alive," the FAITH agent answered

A gun appeared in his hand. A trio of shots were fired, Ian gasped for air as he fell to the floor, mortally wounded. "You…gah….The Chairman won't get away with this…" he defiantly said, blood pouring from his wounds. "In the end…his plans will fail…"

His assailant rose from behind the desk, walking towards the fallen man. "Would you like to know what his plans are before you die?" he asked as reached Ian. "He's going to create a new and better world. A world where people's destinies are determined at birth. Where a person's life is entirely mapped out. Their career, who their friends should be, who they will marry, everything will be predetermined. Image it, a world where everyone is content. Their life predetermined. No doubts over what they should do, what they should become, all of it will be gone, replaced with a perfect planned out path laid out for everyone."

Ian let out a bitter laugh. "It's a word devoid of free will…of choice…of freedom…of liberty...Humanity would…become stagnate and die…in such a world…" he replied in between hoarse coughs. "Without conflict…without struggling…without fighting…humanity can't grow…can't evolve…We'll just wither and die in such a world…"

"We'll see," his attacker replied, aiming the pistol at his head. "Well, not you."

_BANG!!!_

Durandal emerged from his private washroom, approaching his FAITH agent. "Thank you," he said, bowing his head slightly. "My only regret is that it had to come to this. But I knew Chairman Kessel would never support Destiny. Eventually, he would have had to have been dealt with. It is better that he has been dealt with now rather than later, when he could have rallied ZAFT soldiers against me."

"What shall we do with him?"

"As far as the world is concerned, Defense Committee Chairman Kessel died a hero, protecting me from an assassin," Durandal answered. "Leave. I will make the preparations."

"As you wish Chairman."

With that, the FAITH agent left while Durandal sat down at his desk and activated his console. Gabriel's masked face appeared on the screen. "You have my thanks, Gabriel. Had he gone public with that information, it would have been the end of me and Destiny," Durandal said to his ally.

"Of course. And you don't have to worry about those that were working with him. They've been taken care of."

"Good. But I can't help but be concerned that he was able to uncover the truth of Break the World." Durandal paused for a moment before adding, "Well, not all of it."

"There is an old saying, three men can keep a secret so long as two are dead," Gabriel replied. "While the fanatics died at Junius Seven, those who made their equipment survived. Somewhere records remain; people who knew pieces of the puzzle live. In order to have removed all traces of your involvement, would have only drawn more attention to yourself than keeping them around. Besides, most have already forgotten about Break the World. All they care is the war. I doubt anyone in your Administration will be investigating it from now on. And if they do, we will take care of them quietly."

* * *

Tarcuius

Athrun sat in his room as the rain poured down on the city. He really had nothing to do but wait for Miriallia to contact him with whatever meeting point she managed to setup with Kira and Cagalli.

What Athrun didn't know was that somebody was watching him.

Luna felt like a stalker, watching Athrun from across the street through a pair of binoculars. When the Captain first asked her to keep an eye on Athrun, she'd jumped at the opportunity—after all, she was a great admirer of the Freedom, the Archangel and the rest of the Clyne Faction from the war.

Athrun was going to try and meet with his old comrades. He was going to find out their motives. With this job, not only did Luna get the chance to learn the information herself firsthand, but also, she might just get the chance to see the pilot of the Freedom himself.

Kira, with Cagalli at his side, glanced around, staring at the pillars that were the only notable feature of this area. Good—as ever, Mir had come through for them.

"Kira!" came the voice of the brunette in questions. Kira turned to see her running towards him, smiling, and he returned the smile.

"Miriallia," he greeted.

"You know, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that it was actually the Freedom flying around out there," she said, sounding overjoyed to see him again. Her voice became more subdued as she glanced at Cagalli. "Though I did hear about how you kidnapped the bride and then high-tailed it out of Orb."

"Yeah… that's… kind of a long story," Cagalli said. "By the way, where's Athrun?"

"He should be here soon," said Mir. "You're aware that he's rejoined ZAFT, of course."

"Yeah," Cagalli softly said.

"I really didn't get much of a real answer from him as to why," continued Mir. "But he definitely wants to talk to the two of you. Do you think you could do us all a favor and not tear him limb from limb over that fake Lacus?"

"We won't this time," Cagalli muttered darkly. "I make no promises about next time."

"He's here," Kira said, glancing back just as they heard the whistling of a fighter flying through the air.

The Savior, in mobile armor form, soared through the skies at high speed, shifting back to mobile suit mode and landing near the pillars. The cockpit opened, and Athrun emerged, grabbing the zipline and descending.

He glanced at them before walking over.

"Kira, Cagalli," he said, a somewhat grim note in his voice.

"Athrun," Kira replied.

"Why did you go and do it Athrun?" Cagalli asked, running up to him. "Tell me." Athrun glanced away. "I was… I was so worried about you. I had no way of contacting; no way of telling you what had happened. But… but why? Why did you have to go and join ZAFT again?"

"Because at the time, I thought it was the best thing to do," Athrun answered. "For me. And for the nation of Orb."

"You're kidding!" Cagalli exclaimed. "What does Orb have to do–?"

"Cagalli," Kira said, cutting her off and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Kira," she whispered, before stepping aside, allowing Kira to look Athrun in the face.

On a cliff overlooking the area, Lunamaria leaned forward slightly from her vantage point. She was using audio enhancement equipment to listen in on the conversation. She focused her binoculars on the second male figure, the brunet.

She'd seen the Freedom down there, and by the process of elimination, he must be the pilot of the famed Freedom. He looked…well, younger than she had expected. The Freedom and its pilot had been an unstoppable force in the last war. And yet, he looked like a rather ordinary young guy.

"So, this machine is the Savior," Kira said, glancing up at the red Gundam.

"Yes," Athrun said. "I saw what you did. And I want to know why you did that! Something so damned foolish!"

"Foolish?" Kira questioned calmly.

"As a result, there was chaos in the battlefield, and because of you, unnecessary sacrifices!" Athrun said, almost ranting.

"So, it's okay to sacrifice hundreds of soldiers following their orders as long as they're not on your side?" Kira asked, catching Athrun off-guard. "How many men and women would you have sent to their deaths if that cannon had lit up the sea? At least five hundred times as many people as died when I shot that cannon."

Athrun faltered, unable to come up with a retort.

"They're the enemy," Kira said. "They attacked us first. Fight them. Kill them. Before they can kill us. How many husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters are you willing to sacrifice, as long as they're not your own?"

"That's not–!" Athrun started, but Kira cut him off.

"Cagalli loves Orb," he said. "That's why we came. We didn't know what our chances of success were, but we had to try. If we didn't, nothing could change."

"Well maybe you should've prevented Orb from participating in the Alliance in the first place!" Athrun said.

"You say that, but aren't you the one who rejoined ZAFT?" Kira countered.

"The Chairman wants peace," Athrun said.

"Durandal sent assassins after Lacus," Kira shot back. Athrun gasped, as did Luna in her hiding place.

"What? What are you talking about?!" Athrun demanded.

"Our attackers were Coordinators in new advanced mobile suits. Only someone in the upper echelons of ZAFT could have such a well supplied group," Kira said.

"And you think it's the Chairman? Why?"

"That fake Lacus, Meer Campbell," Kira calmly said. "As long as Lacus is around, there's a danger that his Lacus could be exposed as the fake she is."

"That's insane! Just because he's using a stand in, doesn't mean that he wants to kill the real Lacus. And he only has Meer so she can help keep things calm in the PLANTs," Athrun angrily replied. "I can understand how you can think that, but he's been trying to find a peaceful solution to all of this! Look at what the Earth Forces have done since this whole mess started! If it wasn't for Meer, the people in the PLANTs would be screaming for blood!"

"And that makes it right? Right to use an imposter to support him and his administration?" Kira asked. Athrun didn't have the answer. Kira shook his head.

"She's no better than that Serena Ryker woman," Cagalli said.

"Meer's nothing like that woman," Athrun shot back.

"She's the Chairman's mouthpiece, just as Ryker's the mouthpiece of those running the Alliance," Kira replied. "The only difference is the message."

"They had a weapon developed and used as a counter to nuclear attacks," Cagalli added. "We heard all about it. The Neutron Stampeder. Its purpose is to detonate nuclear missiles and reactors. And it was perfectly placed to intercept those dummies. If they hadn't been dummies, the battle would've gone completely differently."

"And what does that prove? Three times in the last war, the PLANTs were the target of nuclear weapons. That would be more than enough for anyone to seek a means to counter nuclear weapons. Are you saying that because he had a nuclear weapon counter measure, he's plotting something sinister?"

"Not at all," Kira answered. "And in the end, that doesn't matter. We don't want all this fighting to happen. Athrun… what is lost in pointless battles can never be reclaimed."

Athrun's eyes widened. His thoughts turned back to the destruction of the Tannhauser. The near deaths of his fellow pilots. And briefly, his father's death and the destruction of Junius Seven.

"I've had… just about enough of your sanctimonious talk," he snarled, hand balled into a fist. "You think you've got all the answers?! Or have you forgotten just how many lives you've _personally_ ended?"

"Yes," Kira said. "I know." Athrun's glare let up in confusion. "And that's why… I'm so sick and tired of all of it."

"Kira…" Athrun felt ashamed of himself. He'd forgotten just how Kira felt about all this.

"I don't want to kill anymore," Kira continued. "And I will not sit by and just let others kill."

"Then that's all the more reason why you should go back to Orb," Athrun replied.

"And what will you do?" Kira asked.

"What will I… I'll continue as I am," Athrun said. "And don't try to convince me that I'm wrong. Or are you saying that Nicol, Dearka, Saul and Yzak are wrong as well?"

"Do what you want," Kira answered. "Just one thing."

"What?"

"You're not getting any sympathy from me."

In the next instant, Athrun fell to the ground, a handprint on his cheek.

"That's for everything you said today," Cagalli said, tears in her eyes. "When all of this is through, I'm bringing you home. So you better not die."

Athrun grunted, pulling himself to his feet.

"And you should head to Orb," he said, accepting the slap, knowing he probably deserved far worse overall. "If you want to get some good done, then get Orb out of the Alliance."

With that, he turned to walk away.

"It's not that easy," Kira called out. "If it was, we'd never have left Orb."

"Hmmm," Lunamaria muttered, crouched down as the Savior launched, pondering everything that she'd just heard.

Was the Lacus she'd seen in Diocuia was a fake, impersonated by this Meer Campbell? And had the real Lacus had suffered an assassination attempt?

* * *

"Alright, we've scouted the perimeter thoroughly," Rey said. "Everything's cold. We'll explore the facility on foot from here, but keep your wits about you." He then led the others down near what they had determined to be the entrance to the facility, landing his Guul gently as the others touched down around him. "Tristan, I want you to stay here and keep an eye out for trouble out here."

"_Yes ma'am._"

The cockpit of the GuAIZ opened and Rey removed his helmet before picking up his sidearm and stepping out to grab the zipline, Shinn, Tristan and Gekido following him as he headed into the facility.

"Ugh, what is that stench," Shinn muttered as they entered the facility, the powerful odor coming at them.

"No idea. I've never smelled anything this strong," Tristan commented, his hand covering his nose and mouth.

Shinn glanced at Rey. He looked pale, like her was coming down with something. "Are you alright Rey?"

"I'll be fine." Rey answered, aiming his gun down a hallway, searching for potential enemies.

But he wasn't the only one that didn't feel well. At the rear of the Gekido was rubbing his throbbing head. Ever since he first saw this place, his head was aching. But he pushed it back, focusing on his surroundings.

"I got a bad feeling about all this," Tristan added, checking a hallway. "This one's clear."

Things continued like this for the next ten minutes, the four moving steadily deeper into the facility. Shinn had to admit, he was also starting to get a bad feeling about this. It was starting to feel like something straight out of a horror movie.

He had no idea how right he was about to be proven about that.

Rey slid open a door, stepping inside calmly. Everything seemed normal, and Gekido came in behind him, sweeping the dark room as well.

Then, all of a sudden, both froze, their eyes widening. Their guns fell to the ground, joined seconds later by their knees. Behind them, Shinn and Tristan came in, the latter flipping the switch to turn on the lights, revealing everything within.

Rey was gasping for breath, eyes wide with horror, just as Tristan and Shinn were. Gekido on the other hand, had his eyes closed, his face twisted into a grimace of agony as he clutched his head.

"What is this place?" Shinn gasped, horrified at what he saw.

Suddenly, Rey collapsed to the ground, clutching at his chest in panic. Shinn rushed over to him.

"Rey? Rey, what's the matter?" Rey didn't respond. "Rey!"

Horrific memories… Memories from before Rau, filled his mind.

"What the hell is this place?!" Tristan exclaimed.

Gekido fell forward, lying on his knees and elbows. An endless stream of images and voices tore through his mind.

_You have only one purpose…_

"_Little bastard!"_

"_Please! Stop! Don't hurt him!"_

"_Shut up bitch!"_

"_No!! Please!"_

_One reason for existing. Only one…_

"_LEAVE HER ALONE!!!"_

"_My God… Wha-what have you done…"_

"_Mommy! I'm sorry! Please! Don't leave me!"_

"_Ah…Another test subject. A killer too. You'll find that those with the killer instinct survive and those that don't, die."_

_The life you knew is over. You are nothing now…_

"_Again!"_

"_But…I can't…I'm too…"_

_WHAM!!!_

"_What did I say maggot?! AGAIN!!"_

_Nothing but our weapon…_

"_Here is an enemy of the state."_

"_No! I didn't do anything!"_

"_She has been seen consorting with Patchworkers. Therefore, her live is forfeit. Kill the traitor."_

"_No! Please! Don't!"_

_As our weapon, you have no fear, no remorse, no pity, no mercy…_

"_Here, take this knife and slit her throat."_

"_God! No!! Don't! Please!"_

_Your only purpose is to…_

"_NOOOOOOO-"_

"_Good work, Kevin Hunter Jr."_

_Kill_

Gekido rose up off her elbow and screamed. The instant he stopped screaming, he slammed his head on the floor. He raised his head up, blood trailing down his forehead. Gekido shook his head back and forth, crying out in pain once more before hitting his head again.

"Gekido! Stop it!" Tristan shouted, grabbing his shoulders, stopping him.

The room was filled with large, glass tubes, obviously used for scientific research and experimentation. But contained inside each and every last tube was a human body.

They had to get out of there, Shinn knew that. He pulled Rey's arm over his shoulder and lifted him up. Shinn stopped to look at Gekido and Tristan. Gekido had passed out and Tristan was lifting him up. The two pilots glanced at each other, nodding their heads.

They left, carrying their incapacitated comrades from this place of horrors.

* * *

And done. Now, review and then go check out Mail's, if you haven't already.


	26. Phase Twenty Four: The Place of Sin

Alright! Done! The second chapter is done. Now, I remind those of you that are just stumbling onto to this chapter that I have posted two chapters tonight. So check out the previous one first. And it have been brought to my attention that missed some things I needed to change from Mail's work in the last chapter, I'll get it fixed tomorrow.

**Phase Twenty-Four: The Place of Sin**

"Damn…" Tristan grunted as he pulled his unconscious teammate up the main stairs. "You're heavy, you know that?"

But Gekido didn't respond. "Ha ha ha… Next time, you're carrying yourself."

Ahead of them, Shinn and Rey reached the end of the stairs and the facility exit. "It's alright Rey, we've made it," Shinn said, dragging Rey back to their mobile suits.

A few minutes later, all four had reached their machines. Shinn and Tristan had placed their incapacitated teammates against the Impulse's foot. "I'm gonna go grab a kit and try to bandage up his head as best I can," Tristan said.

Shinn nodded his head. "Right. I'll contact the Minerva."

As Tristan headed to his GuAIZ, Shinn grabbed the cable of his machine, riding it up to the cockpit. He quickly powered up the Impulse, opening up a comm channel. "Minerva, this is Shinn. We have an emergency. Request immediate assistance."

"_Impulse, this is the Minerva,"_ Meyrin replied. _"What is the nature of the emergency?"_

"Both Rey and Gekido are down. They need medical attention." Shinn paused. "This place…this place is…I honestly don't know. Get the ship here _now_."

"_Understood,"_ Captain Gladys said over the channel_. "I'm launching the Minerva. We'll be there ASAP. Hold on until then."_

Shinn let out a tired sigh, a hand brushing his hair. This place, Rey and Gekido, those tubes… He had no idea what was going, and a part of him didn't want to know.

* * *

Later That Night

Talia stared at the abandoned facility, wondering what had been and what caused the reaction among two of her crew as ZAFT personnel finished setting up camp in the facility grounds. Hopefully, some of those questions would soon be answered.

"We've finished checking the inside. We've disabled and removed all explosive devices. Biological abnormalities: negative," One of the ZAFT officers reported as biohazard crews withdrew from the facility.

"I see. Thank you," Talia replied.

Well, that eliminated the possibility of them having been exposed to some kind of biological agent that caused their reactions and meant that they were in no physical danger. Unfortunately, it still left the question of why it happened.

"But that means we still don't have an explanation for what triggered Rey's and Gekido's reaction," Arthur said, voicing her exact thoughts.

Regardless, now that the facility was safe, they could enter the building and get some answers.

"Captain, the Savior is here," an officer called out from one of the nearby consoles.

A moment later, the Savior, in its mobile armor mode, soared overhead, before transforming back and landing next to the Impulse and Yzak's new GOUF Ignited.

They had moved most of the Minerva's mobile suits outside, in case the Alliance attacked. It would be much faster for the pilots to board their machines and take off outside, rather than launch from inside the ship.

Once the Savoir had landed, it powered down and Athrun disembarked, approaching Talia and her XO. "When I got back to the harbor, they told me you had taken off," Athrun explained. "So what's going on? Something unusual happen?"

* * *

The Minerva's Infirmary

"I'm fine. Really," Shinn said, zipping up his coat as one of Dr Grant's nurses fussed over him.

"You may feel fine at the moment, but you could have exposed to a potentially dangerous substance," Dr. Grant replied. Although we haven't detected any gases or viruses around the facility at this point, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"What about Gekido?" Tristan asked, concerned for his friend and teammate.

"Well, his head injury isn't that severe. He'll have a headache when he wakes up and he will have to be sidelined for any missions that may take place over the next few days, but otherwise he'll be fine."

Rey laid on one of the beds, the curtains drawn, hiding him from the others as he recovered mentally. His mind was still lingering on old memories from the earliest years of his life, before Rau found him, before Rau saved him. Across from Rey, lay Gekido, a bandage wrapped around his forehead and unconscious.

"It was careless of the Captain to send the four of you into an unknown facility like that," Grant said, disappointed in what had happened.

"Well we check everything out before he entered," Shinn replied.

At that moment, Rey pulled the curtains back and stood up.

"Rey," Shinn said, a concerned tone in his voice.

"Thank you," Rey politely said, putting on his coat. "I'm feeling much better now."

"Are you sure?" Dr Grant asked. "You're welcome to stay longer."

"No thank you. I'm feeling much better now," Rey replied.

Physically, he was fine. Mentally…well, just some old wounds opened up again. He would recover in time.

* * *

The John Paul Jones

"While the Blu Duel, Verde Buster, Strike Nior and Gaia escaped with relatively little damage, we're going to be up all night working on the others, particularly the Abyss," the hanger crew said.

Neo nodded as Stella affectionately clung to his arm. "Yes I know. We didn't expect that they'd take so much damage in that last sortie."

"True. But by fixing them here instead of returning to Suez, we're really pushing our luck."

"I hear you, but it can't be helped. If they were damaged to the point that they could no longer function, then we'd have a good reason to go back. But Stella and the others are still healthy," Neo replied, glancing at Stella.

Stella smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Another officer approached the pair. "Captain Roanoke, sir," the man said with a salute.

"What is it?" Neo asked.

"It's the lab at Lodonia sir," the officer replied. Stella frowned as Neo pulled away from her, moving towards the officer. Lodonia felt familiar to Stella, but she couldn't remember why. "There was an accident, and they failed to demolish the site. To make matters worse, ZAFT found it."

Neo let out a tired sigh. "You're kidding me."

"We've notified Suez and they're scrambling to do something about it. I thought you should know, sir."

* * *

"The dialysis is complete. Your blood has been purged of the excess of drugs."

Treize opened his eyes. Every inch of his body ached, but he had experienced worse, much worse. Treize rose from the stretcher he was laying on, sitting up. He glanced down at his arm, at the tubes inserted into his veins. "However, your body be back at a hundred percent for another forty to forty-eight hours," the doctor droned on as Treize pulled out the tubes. "Also, I've locked your administrator at its lowest setting as your body is still recovering. After forty-eight hours, when your body has fully recovered I'll release the lock and set you back to your normal."

"I'll be at a hundred percent in thirty," Treize said, getting on to his feet.

"But-" the doctor started, but Treize ignored him as he left for his quarters. He needed to change back in his uniform and report to the Captain.

* * *

The Lodonia Facility

Talia, Arthur, Yzak, Athrun, Heine, Suiren, Shinn and Saul silently walked through the dark corridors, reeking of death. Nicol and Dearka had initially joined them, but they both left soon away, unable to stomach the smell and the sights they saw. Bodies were lying all over the place. Some were wearing the white coats of doctors, others, the white uniforms and nurses and orderlies. But most were clad in simple beige clothes with a metal collar on their necks. Most horrifying of all, those wearing beige were all young children.

And all of the bodies were stained with blood…

On the ground laid a doctor, his head bashed into an unrecognizable mess. Nearby, a young girl was slumped up against a wall, trails of blood leading down from several bullet wounds in her body. The body of a blond haired nurse clutched a dead child to her chest, as though trying to shield it from an unseen attacker. But the child she held was driving a knife in her chest. A teenage boy was sprawled across the floor, staring up at the ceiling, knife wounds, both deep and shallow, lining his body, and a bullet hole in his forehead.

Above the ground, resting on an exposed part of the ceiling stood two ravens, giving a silent vigil to dead lining the hallway. Yet oddly, none of the bodies showed any signs of being picked on by the scavengers. It was as though the horrors of what had happened here were so great that the scavengers dared not tough the remains, lest it poison them.

Suddenly, Arthur's foot bumped an empty bottle, causing it to roll across the floor loudly. Arthur turned, following it with his flashlight until it hit the wall and stopped. He pulled up his flashlight, gasping in horror. "What in…heaven's name…" Arthur uttered, horrified at the sight. "What kind of place is this?!"

What they had thought was a wall, was in fact a series of large glass cylinders filled a clear liquid. Inside, floating in the fluid was a naked ten year old boy, his empty, lifeless eyes staring at them. Worse, they could see the outlines of more bodies in the other tubes.

For a few minutes, no one said anything, until Talia gestured towards the body of a doctor lying a foot away from the door at the end of the room. His back was torn, bloody mess. Clearly, someone had jumped him from behind, stabbing at him repeatedly until he died, perhaps even for a bit afterwards. A few inches from his outstretched right hand laid a keycard. Talia pointed her flashlight at it. There was writing on the card, reading, _Self-Destruct Authorization_.

"A mutiny. That's what it looks like," Talia said. "They were going to blow up the lab but…" She trailed off, everyone realizing what had happened.

"But what's with all the children?" Arthur asked the one thing he couldn't figure out.

No one answered, either not wanting to voice their thoughts on the dead children or unwilling to accept them. Talia stepped over the body and entered the room, everyone else following behind her. The room was small and had only a single computer terminal and chair. However, two of the walls were lined with small glass cases, filled with something, but they couldn't see what in the dark.

Shinn pressed his face close against one, but instantly let out a startled yelp as he jumped back. Inside the case was a human brain. Athrun pointed his flashlight on the wall, revealing that all of the cases were filled with human brains. Everyone was disgusted at the latest sight in a long string of horrific sights they had seen so far, but none said anything, for it was a far tamer sight than the others had been. Athrun quickly lowered his light as Saul approached the terminal.

It was the only reason he had come along, otherwise, Saul would have left with Nicol and Dearka. "Alright, let's see…" Saul said, his fingers dancing across the keyboard, trying to ignore the brains around him. "Wow…high-level security and encryptions…They definitely didn't want anyone getting in."

"Can you crack it?" Talia inquired, looking over his shoulder at the screen.

"Of course, I can hack it. It may be high-level but it's not the worst I've seen," Saul reassured. "There. She's cracked. Now let's see what…Shoot…"

"What? What is it?"

"While they were trying to abandon this place, they initiated a data purge. Fortunately, something stopped it. Likely around the same time that all those people were killed. Unfortunately, I can't tell how much data was lost or damaged." Saul paused for a moment. "What the…There's sections that appear to be under even heavier encryptions. Damn…I haven't seen encryptions this heavy since Orb. It will time to crack those."

"Well, bring up what you can," Talia said.

Saul nodded, bringing up the first available file. "Okay… Year 64, July… 11 rejected, 3 admitted," he read out loud. "August… 7 rejected, 5 admitted."

"Rejected…admitted? What are they talking about?" Arthur asked.

"They're records," Talia answered, a noticeable tremor in her voice. "Of the arrival and departure of test subjects…of children."

"The Extended," Yzak said, gesturing towards the walls and the human brains they held as it fully dawned on him. "This is where they made them."

"Yeah…This is one place I never thought I'd set foot in," Saul added, still typing away. "Just seeing what those guys went through after the war was bad enough, but this place is worse."

Shinn blinked his eyes in confusion. "Extended?"

"I've heard rumors and stories about the Alliance's Extended," Talia replied. "Though they detest genetic manipulation, the Alliance and Blue Cosmos are not above creating living weapons through the use of drugs and other means. Humans who exist only to fight. This is their experimental production facility. With drugs and other means, they were able to reconstruct and enhance their bodies, enabling them to compete against Coordinators. They were then subjected to the most rigorous combat training imaginable. Those who weren't competitive enough or who couldn't keep up with the rest, were discarded mercilessly. That's the kind of place this was." She paused before asking, "Who are you talking about? Have you encountered Extended in the past?"

"Yeah, we have and so have you," Yzak answered. "During the Battle of Jachin Due, Saul, Nicol, Dearka and I battled against a trio of strong Alliance pilots. However, in the middle of the fight, they stopped as their bodies were racked with agony. We brought them aboard the Archangel-"

"We? As I recalled, you wanted to leave them there to die," Saul said, interrupting him.

Yzak ignored him and continued, "They were going through crippling withdrawal from combat drugs they had been given. They were in agony for months before their dependence on the drugs ended and the damage it did to their nervous systems were repaired."

"Of course, little good it did them," Saul added. "They had nothing beyond their names and the skills they had been given. No memories of their past, no idea if they have family out there somewhere, or anything like that."

Talia solemnly nodded her head. "But you said that we've met them as well. When was that?"

"They were the three pilots with Commander Alaric," Yzak replied.

Shinn staggered back upon hearing those words. They had come from this hellhole?! He hadn't believed it when Commander Alaric called them victims, but after seeing where they had come from…

Suddenly, someone stepped into the doorway, cocking a gun. Everyone turned. Standing in the doorway was a young boy, no more than twelve, wearing the pale, bloodstained clothes and dark collar of one of the test subjects. His eyes were gray with tears trailing down his dirty cheeks, his left eye twitching every few seconds while his head was completely hairless, but there noticeable surgical scars across his head. He had a pistol in his hands, aimed at them.

"Whoa now…" Talia said, raising her hands as she tried to calm him down. "We don't mean you any harm. My name is Talia. What's your name?"

"The voices…Those voices…They won't stop…" he mumbled. "I killed them…But they won't stop! They won't stop screaming!! Why won't they stop?!!"

"No one's screaming," Talia said, keeping her voice low.

"Are you mad?!" the boy exclaimed, the shaking in his hand. "They're screaming constantly! I killed them but they won't stop screaming in my head!!"

"Calm down. We can help you," Talia replied. "We can you from here and make you better."

Unfortunately, the words 'make you better' didn't react well with the boy. He began screaming at the top of his lungs, firing off a few shots. Everyone dropped to the ground instantly as bullets hit the ceiling and the glass cases on the wall. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" the boy screamed, putting the gun to his forehead.

"No! Don't!" Talia cried out, trying to stop him.

_BAM!_

The boy's lifeless body collapsed to the ground. For a moment, everyone was silent. "That's it!" Saul exclaimed, breaking the silent as he stood up. "I'm getting the hell out of this damned nuthouse. I'll send someone down to set up a datalink with our terminals outsides. There's no way in hell I'm spending another second in this place."

No one could disagree with him.

* * *

The John Paul Jones

Sting, Auel and Stella were walking to the mess hall when Stella suddenly said, "The lab at Lodonia…"

Her male teammates stopped, looking back at her with questioning looks. "What?" Sting asked.

"What is it?" Stella asked, trying to remember why it was important.

Sting blinked in confusion, wondering why Stella was asking about it. "That lab at Lodonia? Don't you remember?"

"That's the place we lived before we came here," Auel added.

With her question answered, the two resumed walking. "I wonder what brought that up," Sting commented as he stepped into the mess hall doorway.

Before Auel could reply, Stella spoke again, uttering, "To make matters worse, ZAFT found it…"

Once again, but froze and turned to their female teammate. "What?!" Auel shouted, beginning to panic.

His mother was at Lodonia. If ZAFT had found it, she was in…was in…

"I have to stop them! I have to stop them!" Auel yelled, starting to run to hanger.

But he only got a few steps before Sting grabbed him, stopping him. "Come on! Calm down, will ya!"

Auel broke free and spun around. "Calm down! How do you expect me to calm down!" he screamed. "That lab is the place where my mother-" He froze in horror. Auel had just used his block word. "Mo… Mo…ther is…she's…still…there…"

Sting's eyes widen in horror, knowing his teammate's block word. "Hey! Cut it out Auel!" he said, grabbing Auel by the collar.

"Mo…ther… Mother…could… Mother's gonna die!!" Auel howled in terror, tears trailing down his eyes. "Mother could… No! I can't let that happen!"

"Die?" Stella uttered in a monotone as she watched the pair. But something _different_ happened. She started walking away. "Die…But I don't want to die… I'm scared…" Suddenly she stopped. "Protect…" Images of Shinn appeared in her mind, images of him protecting her. "Protect," she said, sprinting down the corridor, heading for the hanger.

Minutes later, Stella entered the hanger, running past several crew members as she reached the Gaia and climbed in. "Open that hatch!" she ordered, powering up the Gaia. "Open it or I'll rip it apart!"

But Stella didn't even bother waiting for them to do anything. She turned around and started forcing the hanger door open. It didn't take long for her to do it. After all, the hatches were designed to withstand an external force trying to open it, not something forcing its way out.

Stella leaped out of the hanger, transforming the Gaia before it landed. "Lodonia… Lab… Protect… Mother…" she uttered, heading for Lodonia.

* * *

The Lodonia Facility

Unfortunately, while none of them desired to stay in the facility, they had to. They needed to make sure that there weren't any survivors still around, so Talia had ordered them, along with other ZAFT personnel, to search the entire facility for anyone that might still be alive while other teams we sent in to begin the retrieval of the bodies for a proper burial.

Suiren and Athrun were searching together through more hallways. Unfortunately, all they found was more blood and bodies. Suiren had a hand rubbing her temple, trying to keep back what she felt emanating from the entire facility. That was until she reached a door. She stopped at a closed metal door, feeling something faint but familiar. It was almost exactly like the feeling she got whenever the Specter's pilot was near her, but with the rage and bloodlust toned down, leaving the wrongness of him at the forefront. She placed a hand on the door and was instantly bombarded by an overpowering surge of images, voices and feelings.

Needles pierced her arms, filling her veins with fire.

"_Give him more…"_

Red began to fill her vision. The fire was threatening to burst from her body.

"_More…"_

"_But Doctor…"_

"_More…"_

She couldn't keep the fire in anymore. It was tearing her apart. She had to release it. She yelled…she screamed…she howled…she roared…

"_RAAAAAAGH!!!"_

"_My God! He's broken loose!"_

"_He's gonna kill us all!"_

"_For the love of God, let us out!"_

"_Thank you for donating your bodies for science gentlemen…"_

"_NOOOOOOO!!!"_

"_HELP ME-AAAAAAAARGH!!!"_

Suiren stumbled back, clutching her head. Athrun appeared behind her, grabbing her shoulders. "Suiren! Are you alright?" he asked, worried about her.

The sheer force of it had been too much, leaving her temporarily in a daze. "They did terrible…horrible things to him…drove him mad…and he tore them apart with his bare hands…" she uttered without even realizing it, her eyes beginning to water. "…And he loved it…he loved inflicting pain on them…God…he loved it so much..."

"It's alright Suiren," Athrun said, slowly guiding her back outside. "I'm going to get you out of here."

* * *

The John Paul Jones

Neo rushed into the hanger with Treize behind him. Instantly, he could see the empty spot where the Gaia stood and the hanger door that had been forced opened. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Sorry sir. She ran in here and boarded the Gaia before we could stop her," a crew member answered. "She forced open the hatch and ran."

Neo bit back a curse. "Treize, take the Specter and bring her back," he ordered. "_Alive_."

"Yes sir," the Extended replied, rushing towards the Specter.

* * *

Lodonia

Once they were outside, Athrun set Suiren down at one of the tables that had been set up. Suiren looked and felt a lot better, now that she was outside the facility, but she still hadn't fully recovered. "Are you going to be alright?" Athrun asked, sitting down next to her.

"I will be," Suiren quietly answered. "That place is…is filled with so much pain and suffering. It was just too overwhelming for me."

Nearby, the first of the bodies were being brought. There were too many…too many children among the dead. Stretches carrying two, three, even four small bodies, were being taken past them and lined up on the ground.

There had been times when Athrun had hated the actions of the Earth Alliance. The Bloody Valentine Tragedy, the invasion of Orb, the repeated use of nuclear weapons, the declaration of war following Break the World, forcing Orb to join forces with them, were examples of their actions he despised. However, he had never truly hated the Earth Alliance has a whole. But seeing the bodies of those children, and the horrors that they and countless others had suffered, made a part of him utterly hate the Earth Alliance, and wanted to see it burn for its crimes here.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was how the men and women who dropped Junius Seven felt.

* * *

"Stella! Return to the John Paul Jones at once!" Treize demanded as he approached the Gaia from above. But there was no response from Stella. "Fine. You leave me no choice. If you do not return at once, you will _die_."

…Nothing happened and the Gaia continued racing towards Lodonia. "What?! The block word isn't working?!" Treize angrily shouted as the Gaia rushed ahead. "That's impossible!" He paused, shaking his head. "No matter, I'll stop her the other way."

* * *

Heine, Yzak and Shinn collapsed down next to Athrun and Suiren, looking pale and worn out. "There were no survivors," Heine said, his voice utterly devoid of its normal light and humorous tone.

"There was no one else alive?" Athrun asked.

"None that survived," Yzak answered, sounding exhausted.

Athrun could tell from his tone that he shouldn't inquire into what that meant exactly.

"This is crazy! It's unbelievable!" Shin angrily exclaimed. "They go on about Coordinators being a mistake and a crime against nature, and then they create these!?"

"Shinn..."

"How the hell can they say tinkering with genes is wrong when they are doing things like this!?"

"I couldn't agree more," Athrun started.

Unfortunately, that was has far as he got. At that second, Burt's voice came through the radio in one of the nearby consoles, where the Captain, the XO, and a number of ZAFT officers were. _"Captain! One-no two incoming mobile suits! It's the Gaia and the Specter!"_

"What?! Just the two?" Talia asked.

"_Yes ma'am."_

Talia spun around to the pilots, four of whom were already on their feet, only Suiren who hadn't fully recovered, remained sitting. "Go! Defend the complex," she ordered as the four were already running to their machines.

* * *

Treize drew his beam revolvers, firing in front of the Gaia's path. Stella didn't even slow down, she just leaped to left, her beam blades slicing through the forest. "Damn this blasted girl," Treize growled. "This would have been so much easier if I didn't have to being her back alive."

Suddenly, the Specter's radar started to beep. Treize swore. Four contacts were approaching. ZAFT mobile suits. "Annoying insects," he said, twirling his revolvers for moment before firing at them. "I'll crush you all then bring her back!"

The Impulse, the Savior and the GOUFs pulled apart, dodging his shots. "We need to be careful," Athrun said. "If they came here to destroy the facility, they may have been equipped with special equipment. We need to take them out without destroying them."

"What?! You want us to take them down without destroying them?!" Shinn exclaimed.

"Exactly."

At that moment, the Gaia attacked, leaping into the air and firing at the Impulse and the Savior. Athrun dodged the beams while Shinn blocked a few with his shield before the Gaia collided with him.

Nearby, Treize continued to fire on Heine and Yzak. The two GOUFs split apart, coming at the Specter from different sides, but it still managed to track them, firing at a revolver at both of them. But that didn't stop them. They continued to race towards the Specter, drawing their swords. The blades swung at the Specter, but Treize narrowly pulled up in time.

"Fast, but not fast enough!" Treize shouted, firing on them as he soared upwards.

"I'll show you fast," Yzak yelled back, dancing around the beams as he raced after the Specter.

Athrun fired on the Gaia, managing to blast off the beam rifle stored on its back before the Gaia struck him and bounced off. As it soared, the Gaia transformed back into its mobile suit form. Stella landed, trying to find her rifle. But neither Athrun or Shinn let up. Shinn fired at her as he rushed towards her, forcing Stella to protect herself with her shield for a few moments before leaping into the air, to avoid his shots.

But Athrun was waiting for her, firing his rifle as she raced upwards. "Shinn, I'll distract the Gaia, you come at it from below," Athrun said.

Stella drew her beam saber and pulled her shield in front her, moving towards the Savior as it rushed towards her. Once Athrun drew close, Stella attacked, pulled back her shield and swinging down on him. But Athrun was faster, sidestepping her blade as he rushed past her.

At that instant, the Impulse shot up, its beam saber drawn. Before Stella could mount any kind of defense, Shinn sliced through the front of the Gaia's chest, tearing up a large gash. The Gaia fell, crashing violently on the ground. It was down.

Shinn landed next to the fallen machine, taking a closer look at it. He looked into the exposed cockpit and gasped. Lying in the cockpit was the unconscious form of Stella…

"Hmph. Inferior girl," Treize said in contempt of his fallen teammate. "You can stay here and die for your stupidity and weakness."

Yzak roared as he lashed out at the Specter with his heat rod. Treize pulled up shield arm. The whip coiled around the shield and the Specter's arm. Yzak pulled back with everything his GOUF had, pulling the Specter's arm, causing it to drop its revolver.

As Treize fought to free himself from the GOUF, Heine, his window of opportunity, struck. His heat rod wrapped around the Specter's other arm and he pulled, causing Treize to drop his remaining gun and pulling right arm away from is left. "Let go of me, you test-tube bastards!" Treize shouted as he fought to free himself.

The heat rods activated, releasing an electrical discharge into the Specter, shorting out its systems. "Now Athrun!" Heine shouted.

Athrun, in the transformed Savior, raced towards the Specter. At the last second, the Savior transformed back and drove its foot into the dark mobile suits. At that same second, Yzak and Heine pulled back their heat rods.

Like the Gaia, the Specter was thrown down, crashing into the ground.

"Alright, he's down," Heine said, looking down at the immobile Specter. "Is it just me or does he seem…weaker than he did in the last battle?"

"Maybe it's a different pilot," Athrun suggested, thinking the same thing. There was no way that this pilot had battled Kira to a standstill. Either it was a different pilot or they had been injured in last battle and wasn't able to fight as he had.

"Shinn appears to be checking on the Gaia's pilot," Yzak said, staring at the Impulse and the fallen Gaia. "Athrun, take a look at the Specter. Make sure the pilot's out of commission."

"Right."

The Savior dropped down, landing next to the Specter. Athrun powered down his machine and climbed out, making sure he was armed before leaving. He walked over to the Specter and carefully climbed onto its body, heading for the cockpit hatch. Athrun pulled the hatch release, opening the cockpit hatch. Athrun climbed in, his sidearm drawn. The Specter's white haired pilot laid unconscious in his seat, blood trailing down the side of his face. Oddly, there was a black and white mask on his face that remained Athrun of Rau Le Creuset's. Athrun didn't know why, but he felt complied to remove the mask, to see the face of the Specter's pilot, the face of one of their toughest enemies. He reached up and pulled off the black and white cloth masked. "No…" he uttered, horrified at what he saw. "It can't be…"

But there was no mistaking that face. Even if the hair didn't match, the face did, right down to the small scar under his left eye.

Chris Dante had come back from the dead…

* * *

What can I say? I lied. Treize _always _was Chris.


	27. Phase Twenty Five: The Returning Son

Yo everybody! Mail and me are back with more of what you love! Enjoy!

**Phase Twenty-Five: The Returning Son**

Outskirts of the Lodonia Facility

No… this was… this was…

"This is impossible!" shouted Athrun to himself. The communicator on his wrist suddenly activated.

"_Athrun?_" came Yzak's voice. "_Athrun, what's wrong?_"

Before Athrun could answer, another voice cut in.

Nearby, on the Gaia, Shinn held Stella, just as shocked to realize she was the Gaia's pilot as Athrun was to see the face of the Specter's pilot.

"Oh Stella… why you?" he murmured, remembering that time he'd saved her.

Suddenly, she started coughing, before cracking her eyes open.

"I can't die… I won't…" she whispered. "I'm scared… protect…" Shinn remembered the time he'd saved her out at Diocuia, and the death of his family. His eyes narrowed as she fell back unconscious, and he picked her up, rushing back to the Core Splendor.

"_Athrun?_" Yzak said over comm., trying to reach him. Athrun shook his head, telling himself this had to be some kind of nightmare. "_Athrun!_"

Yzak's shout finally broke through the haze clouding his mind, distracting him as he turned towards the hatch. Suddenly, a grayish-green eye and a black eye opened, and a fist slammed into the side of Athrun's head, his pistol flying from his hand. Athrun staggered back, on the edge of the cockpit, but before he could do anything, he was thrown out, falling onto the Specter's leg. Fortunately, it wasn't that much of a drop, and aside from some bumps and bruises he was fine.

Athrun got back up to his feet, looking up at the cockpit. Chris was standing there, pulling his mask back onto his face. Once it was back on, he jumped down onto the leg, unzipping his coat. He threw it back into the cockpit, revealing his scarred, muscular arms. Underneath his coat, he wore a sleeveless black t-shirt with a noticeable bulge on the center of his chest.

"It's been a long time since I've killed someone with my bare hands," said Chris, punching his palm. "I'm going to enjoy this."

_It… it doesn't even sound like him_, thought Athrun as he took a defensive step back while Chris spread his legs apart and raised his arms up, slipping into a fighter's stance.

Chris grabbed the watch on his wrist, pushing a button on the side for a moment. He let out a low growl as his muscles and veins bulged out a bit. Letting out a roar, he charged forward, pulling his right arm back. Athrun managed to sidestep his attack, only to have Chris swing his arm, trying to backhand him. But Athrun was faster, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back, forcing Chris onto one knee.

"Chris! It's me! Athrun! We were friends! We shouldn't be fighting!" he pleaded as Chris fought to free himself. "Don't you–"

At that instant, Chris's head slammed back into Athrun's face, breaking his hold.

"Chris? Who the hell is Chris? The name's Treize Zabiarov, Patchworker," said Chris, getting back onto his feet while Athrun staggered back. "Don't forget, because it's the name of the one who's gonna kill you."

A powerful fist struck Athrun's gut, followed by another shot to his face. But when he struck a third time, Athrun managed to pull his arms up, blocking the punch and countering with a low kick to Chris's knees, causing him to lose his balance. Athrun followed up with an uppercut, hitting Chris square in the chin. As he fell down, Athrun stopped, wiping the blood from his nose.

"Please Chris! This isn't you!" he said, trying to reason with him. "I don't want to fight you! Please, stand down!"

Suddenly, Chris's feet slammed into Athrun's abdomen. Athrun fell to his hands and knees, dry heaving as Chris rose to his feet.

"You're beginning to annoy me, Patchworker," he said. "I'm going–"

"_Hold it right there!_" Heine called out from his GOUF, his beam guns locked on Chris. "_Another step and I'll fire!_"

"Go ahead!" Chris yelled back, spreading his arms out as he turned to the mobile suit. "Fire! Kill us both!"

Heine didn't fire. He couldn't for that very reason. If he fired, Athrun would be killed in the shot as well, and unfortunately, the GOUF lacked CIWS guns. So he had been bluffing.

"Coward! That's why you're kind is going to lose this war!" shouted Chris. "You lack the spine to do what needs to be done! Had I been in your position, I would've fired without hesitation! But you are all too weak!"

Suddenly, Athrun tackled him, throwing Chris to the ground while he landed on top of him.

"I don't want to do this Chris," said Athrun, raising a fist. "But you leave me no choice."

But Chris was faster, rolling his body, reversing their positions and delivering a series of blows to Athrun's face. Athrun pulled his arms up, shielding himself from more punches before rolling over, forcing Chris off of him.

As Athrun tried to recover from the latest attack, Chris rose up, grabbing him by the collar, lifting him.

"Don't do this," pleaded Athrun.

"Don't do this. I don't want to fight you," echoed Chris mockingly, pulling back his fist. "Like a broken record."

This time, though, Athrun was faster, slamming his knee into Chris's stomach. He stumbled back as Athrun landed on his feet. Before Chris could regain his footing, Athrun struck, delivering punches to his head, forcing him back. But after the third blow, Chris blocked the next punch and struck back with a punch of his own, followed by more vicious blows. Athrun struck back after being hit several more times, throwing Chris off-guard, but only for a moment; as soon as Chris regained his balance, he headbutted Athrun.

It was too much for Athrun. He fell to his knees, vision blurring and his left eye starting to swell. Chris's hands shot out around his neck, cutting off his airflow.

"Time to die," Chris said with a wicked grin.

Athrun gasped for breath, flailing against Chris, but his grip was like iron, Athrun couldn't break it. He couldn't believe it. He was going to die here, strangled by someone who had been his friend.

_It… can't end… like this…_

_BAM!!!_

Suddenly, Chris let go, staggering back, blood pouring down his right side. His hand instinctively shot there, pressing against the wound, as Athrun choked in air, and both turned to face the direction from which the sound of the gunshot had come.

Standing a short distance from the Specter was Yzak, his sidearm aimed at Chris. He fired again, this time hitting Chris in the shoulder. The masked pilot stumbled back, teetering on the edge of the Specter's leg. Yzak fired a third time, the bullet catching his leg this time. For a split-second, he just stood there. Then, he fell over the edge.

"Are you aright Athrun?" Yzak called out.

But Athrun didn't respond. Instead, he pulled himself over to the edge, staring down at Chris. He wasn't moving as blood continued to pour from his wounds. He needed a doctor. Fast.

"_Athrun? Are you alright?_" came Heine's voice.

Athrun turned his head towards the GOUF. "We need to get him to the _Minerva_! _Now_!"

* * *

The Minerva

"Get out of my way!" shouted Shinn, leaping out of the Core Splendor with Stella in his arms. The crew was so confused to see him carrying an Earth Forces soldier that no one stopped him as he rushed out of the hangar, heading for the infirmary.

Shinn ran through the corridors of the Minerva, ignoring the confused looks and questions from the crewmembers as he carried Stella to the infirmary. Pausing only to wait for the door to open, he rushed into the infirmary, shouting. "Doctor! Help her! Hurry!"

Dr. Grant and one of his nurses just stood there, utterly flabbergasted at the sight of Stella, clad in a pink Earth Forces uniform. Neither of them made any attempt to move as Shinn set her down on one of the beds.

"C'mon! She's hurt! Help her!" exclaimed Shinn, noticing their inaction.

"I need the Captain's authorization before I can treat enemy combatants," Grant explained. "No one has notified me about this patient."

Shinn was stunned by his words. Stella was hurt, possibly dying, yet the doctor was refusing to treat her because she was an enemy combatant?! What happened to do no harm?! "I'll get your damn authorization!!" Shinn angrily shouted. "Please! Treat her! What if she dies?!"

Suddenly, Stella's eyes shot open. "I…will not…die!!" she screamed as she sat up.

Shinn turned to her, opening his mouth to speak, but he never got a chance. Stella tackled him as she continued to scream. They wrestled across the floor, Shinn struggling to hold her back while Stella trying to claw out his eyes.

"What the hell's going on here?!" someone called out. Who, Shinn wasn't quite sure. He was too busy fighting off Stella.

A set of hands grabbed Stella's shoulders and pulled her off of him. But Stella didn't stop fighting, elbowing Gekido as he fought to hold her. "Ow! Dammit! Stop it! Ow! Hey!! I don't hit girls, but you starting to push me!" At that moment, Stella stomped on his foot causing Gekido to howl in pain, but somehow he managed to hold on to her. "ARGH!!! Dammit! Doctor! Freaking drug this girl already!!"

But Dr. Grant was already one step ahead of him, having grabbed and loaded an injection gun. "Try to hold her steady," he ordered, approaching Stella.

"I'm trying," Gekido grunted, fighting to keep her in his arms.

Dr. Grant jabbed the gun into Stella's neck and squeezed the trigger. Stella's movements started becoming slow and sluggish as her body started to go limp. Within moments, she was out, allowing Gekido to put her back onto a bed. "Okay…Someone tell me just what the hell is going on here," he said, turning to Shinn and the doctor.

At that moment, the door opened. Athrun and Yzak entered, carrying another EA pilot into the medbay, bandages wrapped around a trio of wounds on his body.

"Another one?!" Grant exclaimed. "I can't treat these people without-"

"Doctor, as a member of FAITH, I'm ordering you to treat them. Both of them," Athrun said as he and Yzak set the pilot they were carrying onto a bed.

Athrun didn't look fine himself. His face was covered in bruises and cuts and he had a black eye. "Perhaps I should take a look at you first," the doctor said.

"No. I'll be fine. He's been shot. He needs your attention more."

"Very well… Nurse Roberts, I'll need a hand with this one," Grant said, gesturing towards the male EA pilot.

Once again, the door opened. This time, Talia and a group of armed soldiers entered the room. "What's going on here? I was told injured prisoners were being brought on board without authorization," she said, sounding displeased.

Shinn gulped, waiting to get chewed out.

"I authorized it," Athrun said, slumping down on one of the empty beds. "I take full responsibility for bringing them both on board."

"I assume you had a good reason for this," Talia replied.

"Yes, I do. But we shouldn't talk here."

"Very well then. We'll talk in my office. You as well, Shinn."

* * *

The John Paul Jones

"I see," Neo said steadily, as the EA agent finished his urgent report. "So they're both losses. Well, that's unexpected, and unwanted. But there's not much we can do about it. I will inform Lord Djibril."

Neo turned off his desk console and sighed. It was his fault for all of this. He should have expected the abnormal reactions from the Extended upon hearing of Lodonia's capture. But then, no one could have predicted that her block word failed like that. It was unprecedented. Even when their programming failed, their block words never did. It was…well, impossible, until this moment.

He pulled up his mask, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Neo knew he was going to have to tell the other Extended. Auel's and Sting's memories of Stella and Treize could easily be erased, but the memories of the other could not. They would have to be told what happened.

* * *

The Minerva

"So, what explanation do you have for yourself?" Talia said, sitting down in her chair and glaring at Athrun and Shinn. Athrun gave Shinn a brief glance, telling him to go first. Shinn took a calming breath before proceeding.

"I know that girl," Shinn answered. "Her name's Stella. I met her on the coast of Diocuia. She was drowning. I had some trouble understanding her situation. I… you see, at the time, I thought she was a traumatized war victim."

"But the truth of the matter was she was Gaia's pilot," Talia said, a hint of anger in her tone. "She's been fighting us all this time. You know that, right? And… perhaps she's something more."

"I believe you're right," said Athrun. "I also know the pilot of the Specter, but it seems that he's been brainwashed into fighting for the Alliance. You see, he's a Coordinator."

Both Shinn and Talia gasped. "What?"

"He lost his parents in the Bloody Valentine," continued Athrun. "He hates Blue Cosmos with a passion, but not only did he not recognize me, claiming his name was Treize Zabiarov, and he talked like a Blue Cosmos agent."

"And just who is he supposed to be?" Talia asked.

"Christopher Dante," he answered. "The pilot of the Raven."

"What?!"

"I didn't believe it myself at first," Athrun replied. "But despite some of the changes, the face is identical, right down to a scar Chris received a few weeks before Jachin Due. I don't really understand how this is possible."

"But why would he do this?" Shinn asked. "I don't understand! The pilot of the Specter… he… he's some kind of monster! We've all seen it before!"

"Chris isn't a monster!" Athrun snapped. However, he immediately regretted his outburst, and sighed. "I'm sorry. You're not wrong about… the Specter's pilot… whatever's been done to him…"

"We were in the middle of storing the encrypted data on the _Minerva_ when the attack happened," Talia said. "I don't know what its current status is, but maybe we can find out more from that."

At that moment, the comm. panel on Talia's desk suddenly started beeping. She switched it on. "What is it?" she demanded, irritation in her voice.

"_Captain, could you come down here please?_" Dr. Grant said.

"I'll be right there," she said before switching off the comm.

* * *

Shinn gasped when he saw that the two were bound. "What do you think you're doing?!" he demanded. "They're injured for crying out loud, especially him! And sure, Stella may have been a little hysterical before…"

"That's not the problem here," Grant replied.

"Huh?"

"It appears that they are a part of the Alliance's Extendeds," the doctor explained.

"What?" Shinn gasped.

"I thought so," murmured Talia.

"I gave her something to help her sleep," Grant said. "But honestly, I don't know how long the medication will keep her under. Before treating them, I subjected them to a simple examination. The results were unbelievable for almost every test. For one thing, he's a Coordinator."

"Unbelievable… The Alliance is even using Coordinators for their Extended," Talia said, shaking her head.

Grant nodded his head. "Indeed. Next, there are abnormally high levels of many natural chemicals in both of them. In addition, I detected numerous substances not normally found in the human body. It was most likely done through the use of drugs. I can't guarantee it for her, but for him, there's no doubt."

"Then is that thing on his chest…?" the captain asked.

"Yes," he said. "It's pumping a steady stream of drugs into his system. I considered removing the device, but I can't say what sort of effect the loss of those drugs would have on him. I can't say anything more until we can examine them at a more specialized facility."

"I've seen similar withdrawals," Athrun added. "It isn't a pleasant thing."

Talia studied the unconscious pair for a moment. "I've seen the facilities at Gibraltar. We could probably determine everything we'd need to keep them alive there, but getting there will be difficult."

"What do you mean?" Shinn asked.

"Think about it," Athrun replied. "They know we've got two of their pilots. They're not just gonna let us carry them off to Gibraltar."

"Yes, all routes out of the Tarcuius area will be closely monitored from here on out," Talia agreed. "Doctor, how long can they last?"

"Well, I think I can provide something for the girl," he said. "I can't say how long just yet, but I'd guess at about a month, depending on luck and how long she was intended to be able to last without her drugs. For him, estimating by the rate the device is pumping the drugs into him, he's only got two weeks before they dry up. Again, I may be able to devise a temporary solution, but without better facilities, that's all any of it will be."

"So we've got at best three weeks to reach Gibraltar," Talia murmured.

"More if we can scale back the drugs in him further," Grant said. "If we take them down to the bare minimum to sustain him, not only will it be unlikely he'll be able to try and escape, but we could extend how long the drug supply will last."

Athrun bit back a comment about how that might affect Chris. He needed to remember the way things stood right now.

At that moment, Stella's eyes began to lift open. Noticing this, Shinn leaned closer to her.

"Stella," he murmured softly. She turned her head, looking at him. For a moment, everything was quiet.

"I don't know who you are," she whispered.

"What?" Shinn gasped. Suddenly, Stella panicked.

"Where am I?!" she cried, struggling against her restraints.

"Calm down!" Shinn said, instinctively reaching out to hold her down.

But still she fought the restraints, screaming at the top of her lungs, tears pouring down her cheeks and cutting her skin against the leather straps. Dr. Grant appeared injection gun in hand. He put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her as steady as he could, injecting her neck with another sedative.

Stella froze, letting out a loud gasp, eyes rolling in the back of her head. Few seconds later, she collapsed.

* * *

Saul bit off a vicious curse as he ran into yet another defense. It was getting really frustrating how many were delaying him, but he brutally tore this one apart as well. At that point, he ran into a section of corrupted data, and cursing again, began restoring as much of it as he could.

When the attack came, they'd been in the middle of transferring the encrypted data to the ___Minerva and managed to finish not long after_. While the transfer had been completed, the data was already damaged and corrupted in some areas, not including what they had already managed to erase before the uprising. At best, Saul figured he'd be able to recover a fraction of the data, probably badly fragmented.

But that didn't matter. _Any_ data he could get out of this could be an invaluable clue in to figuring out what the hell was going on here!

How could Chris _possibly_ be alive?! Sure, Rau's shot didn't hit the cockpit, but even then, he'd have to survive an explosion with his flightsuit intact in order to survive in the vacuum of space. It just wasn't possible.

So why the hell was somebody with Chris's face, right down to that same scar, lying unconscious and injured in the Minerva's infirmary?!

They were Extended. All of, or at least most of, the Earth Forces Gundam pilots were Extended. But how did Chris figure into all of this? The answer was in this data, Saul was sure of it.

And _nothing_ was going to stop him from finding out what.

* * *

Durandal's Office

"I see… Obviously, this discovery needs to be kept secret," Durandal said. "And I will need a full report on what you've managed to recover.

"_Of course sir. My team has begun examining the facility itself, but it will still take some time to fully catalog everything and compile a report."_

"What of the data?"

"_Well, from what we can tell, they were in process completely purging their hard drives when the incident occurred and something interrupted it. The data we managed to save has been transferred to the Minerva for decoding. You'll have to get in touch with them to see how much they've managed to analyze."_

Durandal cut the line and leaned back in his chair, contemplating things. The discovery of the Alliance's Extended Facility was a major coup for him. Revealing their existence to the world would be a major to LOGOS and the Alliance, provided they had concrete evidence linking them to the facility. Which they would have with the data from the hard drives.

A smile spread across Durandal's face. Finally a way to shut that woman up.

* * *

The Minerva

Luna felt the deck shift slightly as the ___Minerva's _lifted off into the air, returning to Tarcuius. In her left hand, she held several photos she'd taken yesterday, and in her right, the disk on which she'd saved her report. Fortunately, recordings had not been in her orders, so she had control on the information she'd give.

Because there were some things Luna really wanted to keep to herself. Namely, the things that conflicted with what she had already known before the meeting. The things she couldn't make heads or tails of. Claims that the Lacus they had met in Diocuia wasn't the real Lacus, and the real Lacus had been the target of Coordinator assassins, under the alleged orders of Chairman Durandal.

Luna shook her head. None of it made any sense. She could kind of understand why the Chairman would use a Lacus Clyne impersonator, but why would he want to kill the real Lacus? Didn't they both want peace?

Deep down, something told Luna that she inadvertently got herself caught in dangerous territory, and there was no one she could possibly turn to in this situation.

Luna let out a small sigh as she also thought about everything else she'd learned. Where would things go from here…?

* * *

Shinn sat at Stella's bedside, staring down at her as she mumbled, asking 'Neo' to help her. It seemed that while she had calmed down, she was still terrified.

And she didn't remember him. How terrible was that?

Gently, he placed a hand on her head, similar to the way he would've for his younger sister, Mayu, back before the Athhas killed her.

"All that time," he murmured. "You were the pilot of the Gaia." He closed his eyes, shifting his hand down, laying it against her cheek, in a way he would've for a girl he loved, if he'd stopped to think about it. "And you're the girl… I met by the sea."

Suddenly, Stella's eyes lifted open, finding his face. "Shinn?" she murmured, surprising him. His eyes snapped open. "Shinn," she said again.

"Stella?" whispered Shinn.

"You came to see me," she said. "Thank you."

Shinn smiled. It seemed as though… "Yes Stella," he said, nodding. "Do you… know who I am?"

"Mhmm," she murmured with a slight nod. He was overjoyed—she really did remember! "Shinn…"


	28. Phase Twenty Six: Dark Truths

Yo! This is a double post, so go back and check out the previous chapter first.

**Phase Twenty-Six: Dark Truths**

The Archangel

Everyone was waiting in the briefing room. Samuel had called them all here, but had yet to appear. The door opened and old general entered the room.

"What is it?" Cagalli asked. "What's happened?"

"We've received word from our agent on the Minerva. He said that there's an urgent meeting taking place aboard the ship regarding their latest discovery," Samuel explained, standing in front of the door. "He's managed to patch a live feed to us so we can see and hear it." He turned on the wall-mounted comm. unit. "We're ready. Patch it through."

* * *

The Minerva

Talia, Arthur, and all of the ___Minerva's_ pilots had assembled for the debriefing, and Chairman Durandal was also present via videoconference. Saul was white as a ghost with dark bags under his eyes, and had spent hours composing himself for this.

"Mr. Kessel, you have my condolences on your father," Durandal said.

Athrun, Yzak, Nicol and Dearka glanced at Saul whose expression did not change. "Thank you sir.

He still wasn't ready. And more than a few people weren't going to like this.

"I was up all night working on what data we had," he said. "I wasn't able to retrieve much."

"_And what were you able to retrieve?_" Durandal asked.

"Pictures and accompanying names and model numbers," Saul said. "I also discovered several project names, and another attached name without any pictures."

"That doesn't sound like much," Talia commented.

Saul snorted. "We were lucky I was able to get that much," he said. "Only two of the images I retrieved were actually attached to the name and model number, I was simply able to determine who they belonged to haphazardly at best, by comparing them with other data that was only half-recovered or worse. The records of the First Generation Extend are completely gone."

"_That will have to do for now,_" Durandal said. "_What do you have to show us?_"

Saul took an almost shuddering breath as he began his presentation.

"First, these three," he said. Pictures of Sting Oakley, Stella Loussier and Auel Neider came up, their names listed below them. Shinn tensed slightly at the sight of Stella. "They're part of the Second Generation of Extended, started years ago, before the start of the last war. They were taken to Lodonia as children, between the ages of eight and ten, like all the others of their Generation. Subjected to brutal training regiments, surgical and drug enhancements, hypnotherapy, and mental reprogramming were used to turn them in superior soldiers that would unquestioningly follow their orders. Now, as far as I can tell, these aren't their actual names, but rather codenames they were given when they 'graduated' to assignment with the Earth Forces 81st Autonomous Mobile Corps—Phantom Pain."

"I saw them at Armory One," Athrun admitted. "When I saw them again at Diocuia, I just wrote it off as a coincidence and my imagination. Apparently, I was wrong."

"What about the others?" Suiren asked.

"One at a time," he murmured, bringing up the image of a young man with short, curly black hair. "This is EX-C0311. No name is given, just the model number. He apparently was assessed as the weakest of the graduating members of the Third Generation project, headed by a Doctor Mikhail Andras, the primary 'designer' of all Extended." There was an odd look in Durandal's eyes, but it only last a brief instnat. "Like the Second Generation, all EX-C members were stripped of their names and given serial numbers. But what is truly horrific about them, is that EX-C stands for 'Extended-Coordinator'."

"What?!" Luna cried out. "You mean they were using Coordinators for this… this…"

"Yes," Saul breathed. "This particular pilot was assigned to the GAT-X303AA Rosso Aegis in Phantom Pain. That's where all of them were assigned. The next is their second lowest performer, and was assigned to the GAT-X105E Strike E. EX-C1004 is also their youngest member." He hit the switch, bringing up the image of a young girl with black hair and familiar red eyes. Shinn's eyes widened in horror, and a familiar pain shot through his chest.

"No way!" he shouted, jumping to his feet, catching everyone off-guard. "That's impossible!"

"What?" Saul asked, taken aback by Shinn's reaction. Shinn's hand clenched into a fist, his fingernails biting into his palm deep enough to draw blood as his whole body shook with pain, shock, relief and fury all at once.

"That's Mayu," he said softly, slumping back into his chair. "My sister."

"What?!" gasped almost everyone, eyes darting between the girl in the picture and Shinn. They were quick to see the resemblance.

"How can this be?" Shinn whispered, panting heavily. "She's dead… she was murdered by the Athhas… how can she be here… fighting for those monsters…?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Saul cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, but that's all the information I have on her," he said. "I'm afraid we'll have to move on."

Shinn continued his haggard breathing, but nodded numbly regardless. It was clear his mind was no longer truly there with them.

"This next is EX-C0801," continued Saul, bringing up the image of a pretty young woman with blonde hair tied in pigtails and green eyes. This time, Tristan was the one to react, something Saul did not miss. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

Everyone else followed Saul's gaze to Tristan, who was staring at the picture of EX-C0801 intently, eyes shifting as he took in every detail.

"You know her?"

"Ayaka…" Tristan breathed. "That's Ayaka Katagiri."

"Katagiri…Wasn't that one of the lesser noble families of Orb? And wasn't that family wiped out in the Battle of Orb," Heine said, surprised. "So they took her for an EX-C then?"

"Why…?" Tristan murmured.

"_We can worry about the details later,_" Durandal said, though his voice was clearly sympathetic. "_Mr Kessel, please continue._"

Saul cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "As I saying, EX-C0801 was assigned as the pilot of the GAT-X1022 Blu Duel. Her stats place her in the apparent upper percentile of the EX-Cs. But other than that, there's nothing significant about her."

The image now changed to a black eyed, violet haired girl. "This first is EX-C0607, assigned as the pilot of the GAT-X103AP Verde Buster," he said. "Another upper level-"

But Saul stopped, noticing both Yzak's and Luna's reactions. "Again?"

Yzak nodded. "I know her. That's Saya Hawke. A former subordinate of mine who died at Jachin Due."

"She was my older cousin, but she was more like an older sister to Meyrin and I," Luna softly added. "It was because of her that we joined ZAFT."

"Well… She's alive, at least her body is," Saul wearily replied. "They all are. There's a curious note the few files I've recovered on them. They all seem to require them to keep their faces masked at all times. A glitch in their programming that causes violent insanity if they see a reflection of their face."

"_Do they say why?"_ Durandal asked.

"There are vague comments about the subconscious clashing with aspects of the programming," he answered. "I'm no scientist, but I believe that deep down there's a part of them that remembers what they were and can't stand the sight of what they've become, lashing out at anyone and everyone. But then, that's just my belief."

Everyone was silent for a moment, taking the time to digest what they've heard. Saul cleared his throat and continued. "The last turned out to be our highest scorer as well as our other prisoner. The man down in the infirmary is the strongest, fastest and best of all Extended." The image switched to the face of Christopher Dante, his hair white and his left iris black. Both Nicol and Dearka let out surprised gasps. "His name was Christopher Dante. Chris's designation was EX-C1304. He wasn't assigned a mobile suit, probably because he was instead sent to lead the theft at Armory One."

"_You mean to say that the pilot of the Specter is actually one of the young pilots that fought to bring an end of the last war?_" Durandal uttered, his shock and anger clear in his voice.

"Yes," Saul said, nodding as he sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Feel free to throw up now, I know I did."

Durandal simply nodded back. "_ Very well. __Minerva__, I want you to launch for Gibraltar as soon as you're resupplied and repaired. We need to–_"

"I'm not sure if that's a wise idea Chairman," Talia said, interrupting him. "If we launch now, the Minerva will likely suffer terribly for it."

"_Please, explain,_" he said nonchalantly.

"It's simple," she said. "Right now, the ___Minerva _is a bigger target than we were before. It's unlikely that the Earth Forces are unaware of their capture. They won't just let us take them to Gibraltar. And the Earth Forces will have their eyes on the area like hawks, preventing any of us from leaving under any circumstances, and the moment we leave the safety of port, they'll move to intercept. And then there's our pilots. After what we've just learned, I doubt many of our pilots are right state of mind at the moment to engage an enemy in combat, especially if it's _those_ mobile suits?"

"_Very well then,_" the Chairman replied. "_As soon as you feel everyone is ready, I want you to launch for Gibraltar._"

"Also Chairman, I request that an escort be assigned to us," Talia added. "Given that there is still a sizable EA-Orb fleet still nearby, it would be unwise for us to go out there alone."

"_Yes, you're right,_" Durandal replied. "_I'll see what we have available at Gibraltar and have them get in touch with you to coordinate things. Until then, good luck out there._"

* * *

The Archangel

Nobody moved. It seemed uncertain if anyone even breathed, such was their shock. For some, it was worse than others. Among these were Kira, Flay, Liz, Samuel, Miriallia, and Sai.

Kira had been right there when the Raven exploded. He has witnessed the explosion and it never occurred to him that Chris could have survived it. "No…" he whispered as Lacus squeezed his hand.

For Flay, the father of her child, the man she loved with the utmost desperation, had just returned from the dead as an unspeakable horror. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Flay would be lying if she said that she never wished that Chris had somehow survived Jachin Due and found his way back to her, but not like this…not like this nightmare.

Tears were also sliding down Liz's face, born from the knowledge that her brother had been transformed into the sort of butcher that murdered their parents and friends at Junius Seven. While for Miriallia and Sai, it was the sight of friend they had thought lost, coming back from the grave as something horrific. Sai put a hand on Flay's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

Samuel was silent, staring grim faced at the screen. Yet, at that moment, he seemed far, far older than he was.

The line was cut as Durandal's transmission ended. They didn't know whether or not to be grateful that any chance at more information had just been lost.

"We need to go there," Flay frantically said. "We need to get Chris out of there!"

"Flay's right!" Liz shouted in agreement. "We need to–"

"We can't! Don't you think that I feel the same way! I want to rescue him too!" Samuel snapped. He paused, sighing and shaking his head. "As much as we want to, we can't. We're talking about attack a heavily armed warship in base, inserting a commando team and extracting him. We don't have the manpower for such an operation. I hate to admit this, but we can't do anything to help him, no matter how much we want too. We need to wait and see how the situation plays before we act."

"Samuel's right," Lacus said softly. "We should all take some time to rest, and then we'll figure out where to go from there."

Liz and Flay both looked thunderous, but acceded—they were right, after all.

* * *

The Minerva

"I heard you wanted to see me," Gekido said, stepping into Saul's quarters.

"Yes. I have something for you," he said, typing away at his computer. He stopped, pulling out a disk and turning to Gekido. "This is everything they had on Kevin Hunter Jr." He placed the disk in Gekido's hands. "I never looked at the files and that is the only copy. I deleted the original."

"What I am supposed to do with this?" he asked, looking at the disc.

Saul shrugged. "Whatever you want. Read it, destroy it, I don't care. It's yours to do with as you see fit."

Without saying anything, Gekido left, the disc in hand.

* * *

"_Hi, Mayu here. Sorry I can't talk to you right now. I'll call you back later. Please leave your name after the beep._"

Shinn pressed the button again, replaying Mayu's voicemail greeting for what must've been the… what? Tenth, twentieth, thirtieth time? Maybe more.

How could this be? How could Mayu be one of… them? He vividly remembered his battle with the Strike Noir in the L4 debris field. That battle… it could've gone either way. But if it had actually come to an end, then either Mayu would've killed him… or he would've killed Mayu.

The records, the sounds—Mayu cried out like a Blue Cosmos fanatic, a manic, genocidal murderer. Shinn's grip on the cell phone tightened, and his hatred for Blue Cosmos—no, for the entire damn Earth Alliance and the Athhas responsible for destroying his family!—intensified a thousand fold.

How dare they do this to _his_ sister?! He'd make every last one of those bastards pay for this!

* * *

Like Shinn, Tristan's thoughts were also on one of the EX-Cs. He'd thought Ayaka was dead—though the details were fuzzy, the Katagiri Family was destroyed following the Battle of Orb because they remained defiant of the Earth Alliance and, more particularly, Blue Cosmos.

He remembered how he'd first met Ayaka. His mother had taken him with her on a visit to the Orb Union, specifically to see an old friend of hers, Ayaka's mother. He'd gotten into a fight with her twin brother, Saji, and she tried to break it up, only for the two of them to end up in an all-out brawl with each other before they were pulled apart, and though initially tense, the two had developed a strong friendship.

He cared about her, probably a lot more than he'd readily admit. He'd grieved after her death, but eventually, he put it behind him, though he resolved to do everything he could to ensure as few such tragedies befell others as possible.

But this was… this was the worst thing of all. Ayaka hadn't stayed dead.

Instead, she'd come back, and likely with every intent to kill him and every Coordinator alive.

Tristan's hand clenched into a fist.

Damn Blue Cosmos straight to hell!

* * *

The Archangel

Rear Observation Deck

An Hour Later

Kira stared out at the oceanic depths, his mind reeling from everything he'd learned. Chris, alive? It didn't seem possible. Yet it was. Somehow, he had survived the destruction of the Raven, something he had never once considered could have happened. Kira slammed his fists on the railing. He had survived two near-death experiences during the war, who's to say that he couldn't have as well?

They should have searched harder for the wreckage after the battle. He should have made sure that they found the Raven's remains before they left Jachin Due. Maybe if he did, they would have avoided all of this.

He heard the door open behind him, accompanied a second later by an angelic voice.

"Kira?" said Lacus, walking up to him. He turned to face her.

"Hi Lacus," he said with a slight smile, trying to hide his inner turmoil.

"I thought I might find you hear," she said, walking to stand beside him and sounding somewhat downcast as Haro rolled around her feet, mocking Kira for being so easily found. "It's beautiful here," she continued, looking out the window. "Earth is an amazing place." She leaned against him lightly.

"Yes, it is," he said, wrapping his arm around her.

"Haro! Hello!" chirped Haro, bouncing up from the floor onto the windowsill.

"Thinking about Chris?" Lacus softly asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Yes," Kira anwsered, letting out a faint sigh. "Chris was my best friend during our time on the _Archangel_. And he really was like a brother to me as time went on. We all thought him dead. Only now, he…"

"I see your point."

"And then, there's also what Athrun said," Kira continued. "Right now, I want to believe that what he said is true, for Chris's sake. But if I believe that, then what are we doing here?"

Lacus was quiet for a moment. "What we feel is right," she said. There was sudden determination in her voice as she turned to Kira. "I'm going back. Back to space. I'll find out more about the situation in the PLANTs, and oversee our projects."

"Lacus!" Kira said, his objection obvious.

"I'm going Kira. We still have too many unanswered questions. About Durandal and ZAFT, about the Earth Alliance, about Break the World, and how it's all connected together. I may not find any answers out in space, but I have to try."

"Then I'll come with you."

Lacus frowned. "No Kira. The Archangel and Cagalli will need your strength now more than ever."

* * *

The Archangel

Two days later

Andy sat in the command chair, currently the only person in the bridge, watching the various news reports. More than a few of the others had been 'elusive' since the surprise return from the dead of Chris Dante.

Unlike the others who were going through shock from the return of a dead friend, Andy's only concern was how to get that same friend _back_.

…of course, an unrelated concern had also cropped itself up. They needed to get Lacus back up into space, where she'd run things from the Terminal directly. Although she shared leadership with Kira, Samuel and other individuals across Earth and space, Lacus was the heart and soul of the organization, and everyone deferred to her in the grand scheme, making her the true leader of Terminal.

The problem was that due to the war, all flights into space were being monitored very closely by both sides, and security would have tripled as well. Making it much, much harder to get aboard a flight. And that wasn't including the fact that this was Lacus Clyne they were trying to get into space. In this instance, Lacus's fame was a hindrance.

Therefore, they had to find an alternative method.

At that moment, a new broadcast came up. It was that fake Lacus, singing and showing herself off on the hand of that pink ZAKU. Andy turned the volume up, wondering what the news was on that subject.

"_Tomorrow is the final day of the Lacus Clyne Comfort Tour,_" he said. "_In the last month, the tour has hit all the major ZAFT bases around the world._"

Andy eyed the broadcast, a part of him noting that they were only showing footage of her better performances, and none of those where people got riled up. But the larger part of his mind had noted the opening announcement, and was already running calculations to exploit it. Yes… yes, this could work.

Smirking, he pressed a button on the wrist of the chair, activating the ship's intercom. "Lacus, report to the bridge. I've found a way to get you into space."

* * *

ZAFT Diocuia Base

The Next Day

"You're certain everything's prepared?" Andy asked, checking his disguise one last time.

"Completely," Samuel replied, dressed in a business suit, as the limo continued towards their destination. They had maybe a minute before they got there. "But you'll have to be quick. We couldn't risk arriving any earlier. The girl is already on her way, and won't be too far behind you. So get aboard the shuttle and get going as soon as you can."

"We will," Lacus said, Haro clasped in her hands.

At that moment, the limo stopped. A ZAFT soldier who'd been waiting for the arrival of 'Lacus Clyne' opened the door right next to Andy. In addition, there was a large crowd gathered around the limo. There were load cheers and camera flashes as the doors were opened.

"Hello, hello," Andy cheerfully called out, stepping out of the limo in his disguise as Meer Campbell's manager, King Takeda, and directing his words towards everyone present. On the other side of the limo, Leonard Miller, a former subordinate of Andy's from when he was in ZAFT, stepped out, wearing a suit similar to Andy's, playing the role of Lacus's bodyguard. "Thank you, thank you and thank you." His last words were directed at the ZAFT soldier who'd opened the door.

"I want to say hello to all my fans," Lacus added with equal cheer as she stepped out, waving to everyone. "Thank you so much for coming!"

"Miss Lacus, it's an honor and a pleasure to serve you ma'am," a young ZAFT officer said, stepping up to her and saluting her.

"You are too kind," Lacus replied with a smile before Andy stepped up.

"I'd hate to rush you son, but we're in a bit of a hurry, got a schedule to keep you know, how about you bring that shuttle around quick-like?" he said—in a single, quick breath. People couldn't help but admire the man's ability to pull that off.

"Ah, of course," the officer said. "We're not really ready yet because you arrived a little earlier than expected."

"We got here early because we're in a hurry. That's why I'm telling _you_ to hurry."

"Ah, yes sir, right away sir," the officer said.

Inside the limo, Samuel knocked on the tinted glass that separated the driver from the passengers. "Get us out of here," he said.

* * *

"_Miss Lacus's shuttle will leave earlier than scheduled,_" came the announcement over the PA as Lacus signed autographs for her fans. "_It will takeoff as soon as it is ready. All staff are to accommodate this decision and give it their top priority. I repeat…_"

"Thank you Miss Clyne," a young ZAFT soldier said as she handed him an autograph.

Lacus smiled and nodded. "You're welcome."

Andy waited patiently as the ZAFT personnel readied their shuttle while Lacus signed autographs for the seemingly endless line of officers and soldiers. While his face was smiling and cheerful, inside he was growing increasingly nervous. If Meer Campbell's limo was fast, or the preparations for their shuttle delayed, things would get very bad, very fast.

"Ah sir," the ZAFT officer from before, said as he approached Andy. "We've finished preparations for your shuttle. You're cleared to leave."

He nodded his head. "Good."

* * *

At that same time, a pink limo pulled up next to the base entrance. Meer and her attendants stepped out, finding the area deserted. It didn't make sense. There were supposed to be a crowd with signs and cameras, cheering as she arrived. "Where is everybody?" she demanded. "Don't they know who I am?!"

* * *

"Sorry about this," said Lacus to the two shuttle pilots as they entered the shuttle's cockpit.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Andy and Leonard drew tranquilizer guns and shot both pilots, knocking them out instantly.

"That oughta keep them down," Andy said, pulling off his wig and sunglasses. "That stuff could put Kira down for eight hours or more."

"Let's hurry sir," Leonard said, pulling off his overcoat along with Andy, both soldiers quite happy to be out of the things. "We're probably already out of time."

"Yeah, I know," Andy replied, taking the pilot's seat while Grissom took the co-pilot's seat, and Lacus sat down in an auxiliary chair. And, just as predicted, at that moment, a voice came over the radio.

"_Stop that shuttle! Don't let it takeoff!_" a voice demanded. Andy only smirked as a video of the control tower, including both Meer and the real King Takeda.

"Sorry," he said. "Nice try. But you're a little too late." He turned his head to face Lacus. "You ready? I think it's time we made our exit."

"All set," Lacus said. Andy nodded, and as they started to forward, he heard the tower commander ordering mobile suits to be deployed.

However, the shuttle had already lifted off. Now they just had to hope they could outrun the numerous mobile suits.

As they shot through the sky, dozens of BABIs and GaZuOOTs fired on the shuttle with missiles and beam cannons. Lacus gasped as she saw the countless missiles approaching quickly on the radar, the missile lock warning alarm sounding.

"Damn it, get up there!" Andy shouted.

But it seemed hopeless—the missiles were just too much faster than the unmaneuverable shuttle.

Then, as the missiles were seconds from impact, the Freedom shot out of the clouds and, not even pausing long enough to get a target lock, fired its Balaena and Xiphias cannons, destroying the entire barrage instantly.

"What the–?" gasped a BABI pilot, shifting his machine from cruising mode to mobile suit mode as he stared at where the missiles had exploded before turning towards the source of those blasts… just in time to see the Freedom flying through the air, beam saber flashing and severing limbs and the heads of his BABI and the one next to him. Two other BABI pilots saw this, and fired on the Freedom, but the White Angel easily evaded the shots and retorted with his own cannons, once again disabling his opponents without hurting the pilots.

Kira flitted quickly through the sky, using the Freedom's immense power to drive him about too quickly for the BABI pilots to react, allowing him to cut all of them down in seconds. He didn't like relying on that raw power rather than his own skill, but every second those BABIs remained in the air was another second that they could put Lacus in danger.

"_Bastard!_"

"_This is nuts!_"

"_N-no way!_"

Kira soared down towards the Diocuia Base. GaZuOOTs fired their entire arsenal at him, but while the artillery mobile suits could inflict a great deal of damage against their intended targets, the Freedom was too fast for their slow weapons.

Kira shifted to firing position, using his rifle to quickly snipe off the legs of the GaZuOOTs, completely throwing off their ability to aim, and fired his railguns at several strategic targets to hamper the base's operations with minimal risk of injury, much less loss of life.

Then, deciding to get a closer look at Lacus's imposter personally, Kira did a blindingly quick flyby of the control tower, focusing on the image of Meer Campbell. He had to suppress a snort—he could tell, from her outfit, her posture and her expression that she was _nothing_ like Lacus. Even for people who focused on appearances, something he hated, Meer's figure clearly did not match Lacus's at all, especially apparent with the way she so readily put it on display, though when Kira thought about it, he supposed most people wouldn't actually _know_ that.

After buzzing the tower, he pulled the Freedom up alongside the shuttle, easily able to keep pace with it, for now at least.

"Lacus," he said over the radio, establishing a video feed as well.

"_Kira,_" she replied, smiling.

"_Thanks kid,_" Andy added. "_Glad you could make it… again._"

"_You people with your bold plans,_" Leonard said. "_Well… I suppose it worked out okay, right?_"

"Yeah, but I'm still worried about this, Lacus," Kira said. "Please… be careful. And don't forget…"

"_Where you go, I will go,_" she said, smiling warmly.

"And where I go, I will take you with me," he replied. That promise was _theirs_. No one could take it, claim it, or destroy it. "Stay safe."

"_I won't break that promise,_" Lacus said reassuringly. "_I'll come back. I will return._"

"I know," Kira said, but he couldn't completely bite down his worry. "Take care of yourself. I mean it."

"_Kira…_"

Though he hated to do so, Kira cut the transmission and pulled away. A moment more, and he wouldn't have cared—he'd have gone with her. Parting with Lacus, even for a moment, was always the hardest thing Kira ever had to face. He could stand against the might of a thousand nuclear warheads, a hundred GENESIS lasers, an endless legion of enemy soldiers, and even the dark secret of Chris's fate, and he always knew that, when asked, he'd tell everyone it was easier than parting with Lacus.

* * *

The Minerva

He laid there, apparently unconscious. But the truth was he wasn't unconscious. He hadn't been for quite some time. Merely biding his time, waiting for the right moment to escape.

For a moment, Treize's eyes slowly opened, scanning the room. There was no one around. His lips curved into a smirk for an instant.

That time was coming soon…

* * *

Now, I don't know when the next chapter will be up, I'm still just not in the mood for Gundam at the moment. So don't expect anything soon. But it will be updated.

As always, review!


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